CHAPTER 8
Lehi sees a vision of
the tree of life—He partakes of its fruit and desires his family to do
likewise—He sees a rod of iron, a strait and narrow path, and the mists of
darkness that enshroud men (def:to envelop with anything which conceals from observation)This looks like a "secret combination" reference. We definitely are in the mist of darkness today because the secret combinations totally envelop the world!—Sariah, Nephi, and Sam partake of the fruit, but
Laman and Lemuel refuse. Between 600 and 592 B.C.
1 And it came to
pass that we had gathered together all manner of aseeds
of every kind, both
of grain of every
kind, and also of the seeds of fruit of every kind. I wonder if
there is special significance to the fact that he says “every kind” three
times, or each time. Perhaps there is truly something important to variety in
our foods, both nutritionally and emotionally. Also; were they camped someplace where all these plants (grains, fruits, other seeds) were plentiful and in season to harvest, or did they go in to a market and buy them, or did God provide them? I guess how they got them is not the message he wants us to understand, just that they got them...of every kind. They were prepared. Think about your own food stores. Do you have food/seeds of every kind?
2 And it came to pass that while my father
tarried meaning they could have been there for some time, in the wilderness he spake unto us, saying: Behold, I have adreamed
a dream; or, in
other words, I have bseen a cvision.
Is he correcting himself here or explaining that this dream was a special kind of dream. Is there a difference between a vision and a
dream? I heard once, “not all dreams are
visions, but a vision can be a dream.” In Oct 2001 President Hinckley said, "the prophecy of Joel has
been fulfilled, "And
it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon
all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old
men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions". This could be referring specifically to the boy Joseph Smith and his vision of the Father and the Son, but it could also mean we should not discount the dreams and visions we receive from God, perhaps even expect them.
3 And behold, because of the thing which I have
seen, I have reason to rejoice in the Lord because of aNephi
and also of Sam; for I have reason to suppose that they, and also many of their seed, will be saved. if he saw their whole future, he would have seen that
Nephi’s seed are eventually destroyed, but only chose to say that "many...will be saved." Report the positive first:) Nephi and Sam’s seed are saved only as they were “mixed” in with the Lamanites through their apostasy.
4 But behold, aLaman
and Lemuel, I fear exceedingly because of you; for behold, methought does this mean he wasn’t sure what he saw now or just at the time he saw it in the dream? I saw in my
dream, a dark and dreary wilderness.It's easy to read this and think it was insensitive of Lehi to praise Nephi and Sam first and then single out Laman and Lemuel as being in trouble. As a parent, he would know they are already sensitive to this and that it could be a stumbling block for them. Was this a weakness of Lehi, to speak this way? Or was this how the Spirit inspired him to communicate...
5 And it came to pass that I saw a aman, and he was dressed in a white brobe; these two footnotes cross reference to Daniel and Joseph Smith seeing angels who they described the same way and he came and stood before me. An angel or the Lord?
5 And it came to pass that I saw a aman, and he was dressed in a white brobe; these two footnotes cross reference to Daniel and Joseph Smith seeing angels who they described the same way and he came and stood before me. An angel or the Lord?
6 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and
bade me follow him. He was given a choice; he was not just not “taken”; he had to choose to follow him. Perhaps there is symbolism in we all followed Jesus and were sent to this place of darkness...
7 And it came to pass that as I followed him I
beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste. Is this just another word for "wilderness"? Dictionary says waste could mean just a desert, or a place of ruin or devastation. Why did the man in a white robe take him into a dreary waste? Was he a false messenger?
8 And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, Was the "man dressed in a white robe" still with him? I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have amercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies. If the "man in the white robe" was the Lord, then he was praying to the person who was with him to take him somewhere different. Or he could be alone at this point. Interesting that the first experience he has is darkness, and a cry for deliverance…we all have to “know” we “need” a Savior. We would never understand that we need a Savior if we did not have experience with darkness. I love the phrase "multitude of his tender mercies". Lehi uses "remembering" to give him faith as he prays.
8 And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, Was the "man dressed in a white robe" still with him? I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have amercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies. If the "man in the white robe" was the Lord, then he was praying to the person who was with him to take him somewhere different. Or he could be alone at this point. Interesting that the first experience he has is darkness, and a cry for deliverance…we all have to “know” we “need” a Savior. We would never understand that we need a Savior if we did not have experience with darkness. I love the phrase "multitude of his tender mercies". Lehi uses "remembering" to give him faith as he prays.
9 And it came to pass after I had prayed unto
the Lord I beheld a large and spacious afield. The Lord answered his prayer. And the place had room for everyone! We all need to seek the Lord in our dreary wasteland
10 And it came to pass that I beheld a atree, whose bfruit was desirable to make one chappy. How did he know this fruit would make him happy? Was it just pretty to look at or did someone tell him it would make him happy? Or is he saying this because he's telling the story after the fact and knows he'll learn what the fruit is
10 And it came to pass that I beheld a atree, whose bfruit was desirable to make one chappy. How did he know this fruit would make him happy? Was it just pretty to look at or did someone tell him it would make him happy? Or is he saying this because he's telling the story after the fact and knows he'll learn what the fruit is
11 And it came to pass that I did go forth and
partake of the afruit thereof; and I beheld that it was
most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the
fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the bwhiteness
that I had ever seen. Certainly not a fruit "of this world"...Joseph described “whiteness” this way too
12 And as I partook of the fruit thereof it
filled my soul with exceedingly great ajoy; truly a desirable fruit, then...this could be a “born again” type wherefore, I began to be bdesirous that my
family should partake of it also; this should be
our natural desire; to first share happiness with our families. for I knew because I had tasted/experienced myself. We can better entice, and invite if we can testify from our own experience. that it was cdesirable above all other fruit. Think "Good, Better, Best" ...
13 And as I cast my eyes round about, that
perhaps I might discover my family also, curious that
none of his family were with him to begin with. Does this symbolize that we each must make our own journey? I
beheld a ariver of water; and
it ran along, and it was near the tree of which I was partaking the fruit.
14 And I looked to behold from whence it came;
and I saw the head thereof a little way off; and at the head thereof I beheld
your mother Sariah, and
Sam, and aNephi; interesting
that they were all together…and
they stood as if they knew not whither they should go. At
least they seem desirous to know which way to go. We may all reach a point where we are not sure where to go.
15 And it came to pass that I beckoned unto
them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice don’t be shy in
calling your family to happiness. Proclaim truth…or maybe he used a loud voice because the water was noisy...in which case, parents know they often need to be "louder" than the noise that surrounds their family that they should come unto me, and
partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit. noticing he didn’t “leave” the tree to go get them. We don’t leave Christ to bring others to Him
16 And it came to pass that they did come unto me and
partake of the fruit also. They heard the call and came
immediately. They trusted Lehi's voice and judgment. Is there something to learn from the telling of this story, that Lehi, Sariah, Sam and Nephi all came directly to the tree without the iron rod and mist of darkness? Lehi had the dark period, and the other 3 had a period of not knowing where to go, but when shown, they all were able to go directly to the tree. What is the significance of that?
17 And it came to pass that I was desirous that Laman and Lemuel they were not with the others… should come and partake of the fruit also; wherefore, I cast mine eyes towards the head of the river, that perhaps I might see them. No parents are content until all their children are together in happiness.
17 And it came to pass that I was desirous that Laman and Lemuel they were not with the others… should come and partake of the fruit also; wherefore, I cast mine eyes towards the head of the river, that perhaps I might see them. No parents are content until all their children are together in happiness.
18 And it came to pass that I saw them, but they would anot
come unto me and partake of the fruit. Why was their choice different? It seems that they had already separated themselves from Nephi, Sam, and their mother.
19 And I beheld a arod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood. If it leads to the tree, then it's purpose is to take you there. Rods of iron are not naturally present alongside rivers. Why not just follow the river to the tree? Who put the rod of iron there? (we'll learn this later...)
19 And I beheld a arod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood. If it leads to the tree, then it's purpose is to take you there. Rods of iron are not naturally present alongside rivers. Why not just follow the river to the tree? Who put the rod of iron there? (we'll learn this later...)
20 And I also beheld a astrait and narrow path, Notice it says "strait" and not "straight". The first means "narrow; with strict requirements" and the second means without a bend or curve; direct". It makes sense that the path along a river would have bends and curves, so this would be a "narrow path with strict requirements" which
came along by the rod of iron, but then, the rod would have to bend and curve too?...even to the tree by which I stood; and it also
led by the head of the fountain, unto a large and spacious field, as if it had
been a bworld. The rod will lead you from the world to the tree. Both locations are "large and spacious" with room for many people.
21 And I saw numberless concourses of people,
many of whom were apressing forward, they were moving with intent, desire and even a sense of urgency that they might obtain the bpath which led unto the tree by
which I stood. if being “born again” means being baptized by fire by Jesus and the Holy Ghost then the covenant path leads us to the tree or gate to the true path which starts after being born again; after tasting of the love of God
22 And it came to pass that they did come forth,
and commence Every journey begins with that first step in the path which led to the tree.
23 And it came to pass that there arose a amist
of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that
they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off
and were blost. Ah...now we begin to see the need for the rod of iron
24 And it came to pass that I beheld others
not everyone lost their way. What was the difference? pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of
iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, we press forward first to find the rod, then we press forward while holding it. It takes us "through" the mist of darkness, not around it. Don't fear the darkness. The "rod of iron" will see you "through" it. aclinging The footnote to this word says, "diligence; perseverance" but Elder Bednar gives it a more negative connotation in his conference talk: Lehi's Dream: Holding Fast to the Rod, to the rod of iron, even
until they did come forth and partake of the bfruit
of the tree.You will see that partaking of the fruit is not the end of the journey....
25 And after they had partaken of the fruit of
the tree they did cast their eyes about as if they were aashamed. They heard voices and immediately felt ashamed. The fruit did not automatically make them immune from the tempting, mocking voices of others.
26 And I also cast my eyes round about, and
beheld, on the aother side of the river of water, notice the building did not seem to occupy the same space as the rod of iron: we need to be on the side of truth and not the world a great and bspacious also has room for lots of people building; and it stood
as it were in the cair, high above the earth hence the phrase
“lifted up” in their pride…not a real building. Real buildings do not float in the air. This one had no foundation...destined to fall.
27 And it was filled with people, both old and
young, both male and female; no one is immune from the pride of the world and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; I am pretty sure, that in the Book of Mormon, "exceedingly fine dress" is always a sin of pride...look it up... and they were in the aattitude
pride is an attitude that leads to actions of bmocking and pointing their fingers
towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit. Keeping the commandments does not assure popularity and
approval from the world. Know that up
front and you won’t be disappointed or surprised. Perhaps they are mocking the idea that each need to be “born again” and taste of the love of God in this way. Maybe they think it’s not necessary or it is just a process and not something we need to seek or desire. The Come Follow Me lesson this week (Feb 4-11 clearly teaches that being born again begins with confirmation and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, but is a life long process. I disagree and feel sad that the church teaches the “born again” doctrine this way. It is so fundamentally important and we don’t get it right. I don’t think I get it completely either, but we miss the boat/mark by not believing it is an “experience” too. For sure, it’s a process to continue on in the Spirit, but I believe there is a “mighty change” experience or it wouldn’t be called that...
28 And after they had atasted
of the fruit they were bashamed, Really? This fruit that fills your soul with joy?
because of those that were cscoffing
at them; they cared more about what others thought than God. Did the fruit not fill their souls with joy sufficient to withstand the judgments of man? and they dfell away into forbidden paths interesting adjective, "forbidden" paths. Sounds like they knew they shouldn't be there and were
lost. No rod of iron to hold on to in forbidden paths...
29 And now I, Nephi, do not speak aall
the words of my father.
30 But, to be short in writing, behold, he saw
other multitudes there are LOTS of GOOD people! pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of
the arod of iron; and they did press
their way forward, continually
holding fast In the above-mentioned talk by Elder Bednar, he says, "Perhaps this third group of people consistently read and studied and searched the scriptures. Perhaps it was diligence and devotion to a seemingly “small and simple [thing]” (Alma 37:6) that saved the third group from perishing." This really stood out to me. In the regional conference we just had (Sept 2013) Elder Clayton opened his talk with a story about an extremely hard economic time in Argentina when there was 80% unemployment. (He just repeated this story in his Apr 2020 General Conference talk) The thing that made the difference between those who weathered that hard time (temporally hard time) without needing assistance from the church and those who did not was one thing: They were faithful and diligent in the "small things": family and personal prayer and scripture study, holding Family Home Evening, paying an honest tithe and generous fast offering, faithful Visiting and Home Teaching, magnified their callings, ... Why do we struggle with these few commandments that we can actually do almost perfectly? These are "yes" - "no" commandments, You either did them or you didn't. Sure the quality can vary, but actually DOING them is within the ability of every single person. Why are they called "small things"? Because we tend to so easily dismiss them or discount them when we choose not to do them; like the consequence will not really be felt if we miss now and then. But listen to Elder Clayton's testimony: "Those who faithfully comply with the simple commandments of God find that their faith greatly aids them in meeting life's challenges. They find as they obey in great faith and continue to do what is right, desirable consequences do follow. Almost miraculously they find help in time of need, guidance, strength, courage, resolve, friends and when it is the will of God, direct intervention in their lives. The blessing of God always attend the righteous." We are all capable; we know how; so if we aren't doing these "small and simple things", the only CORE reason left is that we just really don't want to. Understand that these "small and simple things" can literally save you from perishing...temporally as well as spiritually. Do not discount their importance in your DAILY life! If you struggle with these, search to find the motivation through understanding the blessings attached to them to the rod
of iron, until they
came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree. Jordan Peterson also teaches that the small daily things are your life, so you should pay great attention to them. The big things that come along once in awhile do not constitute “your life”. We miss focusing on the right things sometimes.
31 And he also saw other amultitudes
lots of people in this group too feeling their way towards that great and spacious building. I like to take this to mean that they were letting their "emotions/feelings" be their guide. "feelings are not facts", my mother was fond of saying. Satan gets to us through the emotions that fear, envy, strife, and jealousy create. We think because we feel something the thoughts that produced them are true. We notice the feeling first, then try to explain why they are there. When we discover the thought, it "feels" true. But the truth is, the thought created the feeling. The thought was a temptation of the adversary, and we believed it. The fruits of the Spirit do not create feelings of fear, jealousy, envy or strife. If you feel one of those emotions there is a lie somewhere in your thoughts. Find it and reject it and free yourself with the truth!
32 And it came to pass that many were drowned in the adepths of the bfountain; and many were lost from his view, wandering in strange roads.
32 And it came to pass that many were drowned in the adepths of the bfountain; and many were lost from his view, wandering in strange roads.
33 And great was the multitude that did enter
into that strange building. Did Lehi use the word "strange" to describe the roads and building because they were outside his own personal experience, he having always been faithful and unaffected by the mocking of others? Or was it because they were not natural, artificial, fake...And after they did enter into that building they
did point the finger of ascorn Our worst enemies are those who have had the light and then turn from it at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also; but we heeded them not. see Elder Bednar’s April 2022 Conference talk! IGNORE THEM. You have a choice. Just 4 simple words can save your eternal soul. Think this every time you are tempted. Just heed them not!
34 These are the words of my father: For as many
as aheeded them, had
fallen away.
35 And aLaman and Lemuel
partook not of the fruit, As many witnesses as Laman and Lemuel had, they never took the "fruit" inside their souls and "tasted" the joy it had to offer said my father. All we are told specifically about Laman and Lemuel is that when Lehi called to them they would not come and that they partook not of the fruit. So it seems they never even commenced on the path, never caught hold of the iron rod, never tasted of the fruit of the tree. Not much to even give a father hope...In spite of all the miracles and visitations, they were never born again
36 And it came to pass after my father had
spoken all the words of his dream or vision, which were many it was a
loooonnnnggg dream, but I would love to have heard more... he said unto us, because of these things which he
saw in a vision, he exceedingly feared for Laman and Lemuel; yea, he feared
lest they should be cast off from the presence of the Lord. the real “curse”
37 And he did aexhort them then with all the feeling of a tender
parent not all the rage of a tyrannical parent…,
that they would hearken to his words, that perhaps the Lord would be merciful
to them, in spite of his dream…Or be merciful and soften their hearts, keep intervening, keep providing miracles...and not cast
them off; yea, my father did preach unto them.
38 And after he had preached Here is what is right and here is what is wrong... unto them, and also
prophesied Here is what happens to you based on what you choose unto them of many things, he bade them to keep the commandments of
the Lord; bottom line... and he did cease speaking unto them.What more can I say?
A few of the many lessons in Lehi's dream:
God prepares you for your journey
God prepares you for your journey
God can teach you in dreams and visions
You experience darkness so that you know to
prize the light
Pray when you are in darkness; help will
come
Share the joy you feel with your family
above the noise of the world
You choose the path you are on and the
manner in which you journey
There is help to see you through the mists
of darkness that will surely come
Avoid the pride of the world and their
voices
Be tender with those who don’t listen to
your invitation
Understand truth and the consequences of
your choices
Do not discount the small and simple acts of
obedience; ”in this there is safety and peace” Seek to be born again, Taste the fruit
