D&C 40: The Man Who Wanted to Follow and Then Did Not
I bought a stack of green walnut from a mill last fall. Fresh cut, still heavy with sap. The grain was beautiful and dark even before drying. But green wood is unpredictable. If you build with it too soon, it warps. Joints open. Surfaces cup. It does not matter how good the wood looks if the moisture content is wrong.
James Covel was like green wood. He had a right heart and had received the word with gladness. He had covenanted with God to obey even when pressure came.
D&C 40 is the shortest section in the Doctrine and Covenants. It takes about thirty seconds to read. But it describes something that takes a lifetime to understand. How a person can want to follow God and still walk away.
Who Was James Covel in D&C 40
James Covel was a Methodist minister who promised to obey the gospel. The preceding revelation, D&C 39, was addressed directly to him. It called him to labor in the vineyard and promised him the gift of the Holy Ghost. He seemed ready.
But between D&C 39 and D&C 40, something changed. The Lord revealed that Covel had rejected the word and broken his covenant. He did not reject it because he was evil. His heart had been right. But temptation and fear and the cares of the world overwhelmed him.
Behold, verily I say unto you, that the heart of James Covel was right before me, for he covenanted with me that he would obey my word. (D&C 40:1)
That first line carries real weight. The Lord did not call Covel bad but instead confirmed his heart was right. The tragedy is that a right heart alone was not enough.
Why Did James Covel Reject the Gospel in D&C 40
The revelation gives three reasons. Temptation by Satan. Fear of persecution. And the cares of the world.
First, Satan tempted him. This sounds obvious but it is worth sitting with. Covel was moving toward God and something opposed that movement. The closer you get, the more resistance you feel.
Second, the fear of persecution. Covel was a respected minister. Joining the restored church would cost him his reputation, his standing, and probably his income. He knew that people would talk and mock and question his judgment. He knew what he would lose and he was afraid.
Third, the cares of the world. This is the quietest killer. It is not a dramatic sin or a crisis of faith. It is the slow weight of daily life. Bills. Responsibilities. The mental load of keeping everything running. Covel could not see how the gospel fit into all of that.
How to Overcome the Fear of Persecution in the LDS Faith
The fear Covel felt is common and most of us have some version of it. We worry about what our family will think or whether we will be taken seriously at work or where we fit in a world that lumps all believers together. We worry about being misunderstood.
I think about this when I look at a piece of wood that is still drying. I could rush it. I could build with it now and hope it holds. But I know what happens to joints cut into wet wood because they shift and open and fail over time.
The answer is not to pretend the fear does not exist. The answer is to season the wood before you build with it. Faith needs time to dry. It needs exposure to the air and the patience to wait. Covel did not give his faith that season.
There is a connection here to D&C 39: The Call of James Covill and the Courage to Start Again. That section shows the invitation. This one shows what happened when the invitation was accepted and then withdrawn.
How to Deal With the Cares of the World as a Member of the Church
The cares of the world are not always sins. They are often just responsibilities like work, children, money, and health. The list of things that need your attention before you can sit down and breathe. These are not bad things but they can crowd out the word the way thorns choke a seed.
Covel looked at the gospel and the cares of the world and could not see how to do both. So he chose the world.
I do the same thing sometimes. I tell myself I will pray when I get to the office. Then the day starts and I forget. I tell myself I will study tonight. Then dinner runs long and the kids need help with homework and I am too tired. The cares of the world do not attack faith directly. They just take up the space faith needs to grow.
I think about Covel when I notice myself drifting. The question is not whether I still believe. The question is whether I am letting the cares of the world crowd out the word one day at a time.
What Happened to James Covel After D&C 40
The revelation does not say what happened to Covel after this. The record goes quiet. We do not know if he came back or if he stayed away. But the fact that his name appears in the Doctrine and Covenants at all means something. The Lord remembers the people who try. Even the ones who do not finish.
There is finality in that revelation but also mercy. The Lord did not destroy Covel or curse him. He just recorded what happened and moved on.
How to Stay Faithful When Feeling Social Pressure
This is the question Covel could not answer. How do you stay faithful when the people around you think you are wrong?
I do not have an easy answer. But I know that the fear Covel felt was real and that it did not disqualify him in the Lord's eyes. His heart was right. He just could not carry the weight.
The difference between Covel and those who endure is not that they feel less fear. It is that they keep moving despite it. They let their faith season in the open air. They build slowly and let the joints set before they test them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was James Covel and why is he mentioned in D&C 40?
James Covel was a Methodist minister who covenanted to obey the gospel but then rejected it because of fear and worldly concerns. D&C 40 records the Lord's acknowledgment that Covel's heart was right but that temptation and persecution and the cares of the world caused him to fall away.
What does the phrase cares of the world mean in D&C 40?
It refers to the everyday pressures of life. Financial worries, social obligations, career concerns, family logistics. These are not necessarily sins but they can drain the energy and attention that faith requires to grow. They crowd out the word like thorns in the parable of the sower.
Does D&C 40 mean that everyone who struggles with fear will fail?
No. It describes Covel's specific failure but it is a warning. Covel stopped before he got to the part where help arrives. Fear and worldly cares are real opposition but they can be overcome through continued commitment and the help of the Spirit.
What is the main lesson of D&C 40?
The main lesson is that a right heart is not enough on its own. You need the patience to let faith season, the courage to face social pressure, and the discipline to keep the cares of the world from crowding out the word. Initial gladness does not guarantee endurance.
I still check on that green walnut every few weeks. It is slowly drying. The ends are cracking a little, which is normal. It is losing moisture and settling into itself. In a year I might be able to use it. If I had built with it last fall, I would have a warped table by now.
Faith is the same. It needs time. It needs to be left alone to dry before it can hold weight.
James Covel did not wait. But the Lord remembered that his heart was right. That counts for something.
— D.