“A Word of Wisdom, for the benefit of the council of high priests, assembled in Kirtland, and the church, and also the saints in Zion—To be sent greeting; not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom” (LDS D&C 89:1-2)
In the introduction to the revelation referred to as the “Word of Wisdom”, there is a brief explanation of how this revelation is different from other revelations. This one is “not by commandment or constraint”. So many other revelations contain commandments, that many were gathered together and called the “Book of Commandments”. But this one is different. This revelation distinguishes itself in a striking way because it explicitly states that it is “not by commandment or constraint”. That is what makes it wise. The fact that this one is NOT by commandment or constraint is the main reason these words are to be treated differently. They are to be taken as “wisdom” and not as a commandment.
This major distinction is regarding things that you eat or drink. Discussing such temporal matters and not doing so with the weight of a commandment is consistent with the teachings of Jesus on such matters. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches his disciples that they should “take no thought” what they should eat, drink or wear. While these things are certainly important and essential, as his teachings recognize, if they are given improper weight, they can be a big distraction to the real message. To worry about or to judge on these things it to “take thought” for things that we should not be worrying about.
When you consider yourself to be “worthy” or “unworthy” and are using what you eat or drink as any basis, you’re missing the real point. As Jesus said, “It is not that which goes into the body that defiles a man”. Regardless of what a person may eat or drink, or wear, it does not defile them or make them “unworthy”. It is what comes out of a person that is important and not what they eat, drink or wear. “Those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and they defile the man; for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witness, blasphemies — these are things which defile a man.” You are accountable for what you do, regardless of what you eat, drink or may be wearing. What you drink or not, is no excuse for how you behave yourself. You are responsible for what you say and how you treat others. It is a distraction to make it about what someone may or may not eat, drink or wear.
When you judge someone to be unworthy based on what they eat, drink or wear, you are not being wise. You are being unkind and distancing yourself for reasons that are not justified. You are probably also developing in yourself an inappropriate sense of virtue along with some haughtiness or pride. It is wrong to build up such things. It is wrong to condemn someone for what they eat, drink or wear. It also acts as a destroying agent to judge in this way. You are adding unnecessary burdens on others and building up pride in yourself when you act this way.
Even if a person is doing these things foolishly, like over-eating, it is not wise to condemn them or to consider them unworthy. To condemn such things is to take a precious word, that was given in wisdom and turn it into a weapon that it was never intended to be. It is consistent with the teachings of Jesus that these things not be treated this way. When you do, it violates the “wisdom” of what was given. What you eat, drink or wear should be no basis for judging one to be “unworthy”. This has gone on for far too long and caused way too many problems and divisions among family and friends. It needs to stop. It has been an improper destroyer of relationships. The Word of Wisdom needs to be put in its proper perspective and restored to being wise and not a commandment.