Having partaken of the fruit of the tree, Lehi wants his
family to partake. At this point, we see
a characteristic of Lehi’s vision. “Elements
of the vision often seem to suddenly appear, without any hint of prior
awareness of them and with no foreshadowing in the text. For example, Lehi is
standing next to the tree of life but does not see the river until he is
looking for his family, even though the river is next to the tree by which he
is standing.”[1]
He notices a river of water and it was near the tree. Nephi will explain to Laman and Lemuel the
meaning of the river in Lehi’s vision.
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1 Nephi 8:13 – “river of water”
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1 Nephi 15:26-29 – “And they said unto me: What meaneth
the river of water which our father saw?
And I said unto them that the water which my father saw was
filthiness; and so much was his mind swallowed up in other things that he
beheld not the filthiness of the water.
And I said unto them that it was an awful gulf, which separated the wicked
from the tree of life, and also from the saints of God. And I said unto them that it was a
representation of that awful hell, which the angel said unto me was prepared
for the wicked.
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Why is the river filthy?
It did not appear that way when Lehi saw it. Hugh Nibley explains the nature of water in
the desert. “When [Lehi] dreams of a
river, it is a true desert river, a clear stream a few yards wide with its
source but a hundred paces away (1 Nephi 8:13—14) or else a raging muddy wash,
a sayl of ‘filthy water’ that sweeps people away to their
destruction.”[2] So the river may have been clear at first,
but eventually it becomes filthy.
Lehi finally sees Sariah, Sam, and Nephi. They appeared to be lost, not knowing where
to go. “This is the authentic ‘scenery
of a desert oasis, with its rivers springing miraculously from nowhere and
emptying themselves again perhaps in the desert sands.’ The expression ‘river
of water’ is used only for small, local streams, and here Lehi is so
near the source of the little stream that he can recognize people standing
there.”[3]
He calls to them and asks them to come and partake of the
fruit with him. They did this. Lehi then called Laman and Lemuel to come and
partake of the fruit, but they refused to come.
Lehi then notices a rod of iron along the bank of the
river. The iron rod led to the
tree.
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1 Nephi 8:19 – “I beheld a rod of iron”
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1 Nephi 15:23-24 – “And they said unto me: What meaneth the
rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree? And I said unto them that it was the word
of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast
unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery
darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to
destruction.
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There was a strait and narrow path by the iron rod. Christ would tell us to “[e]nter ye in at the
strait [GR narrow] gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that
leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait
is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be
that find it” (Matthew 7:13 - 14). It
lead to “a large and spacious field, as if it had been a world” (1 Nephi
8:20). Once again, we turn to Christ’s
words. “The field is the world; the good
seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the
wicked one” (Matthew 13:38). “This in Arabic is the symbol of release from
fear and oppression, the state of beingmabsÅ«á¹ or spread out.”[4]
Through the spacious field, Lehi saw numerous people moving
towards the path that led to the tree. “Although
the only identified individuals in the dream are members of Lehi’s family, the ‘numberless
concourses of people’ (1 Nephi 8:21) represent all of humanity. Interpreting
the dream as an allegory, we conclude that salvation is available to all who
hold fast to the word of God, who resist the influence of the wicked world, who
partake of the atonement of Christ, and who endure in faith until the end.”[5]
[1] Lehi’s Vision of the Tree of Life:
Understanding the Dream as Visionary Literature, Charles Swift, Provo,
Utah: Maxwell Institute.
[2] Into the Desert, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo,
Utah: Maxwell Institute, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute.
[5] Prophecy and History: Structuring the
Abridgment of the Nephite Records, Steven L. Olsen, Provo, Utah:
Maxwell Institute.
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