LeGrand L. Baker

1 Nephi 8:5-7 

5 And it came to pass that I saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me.
6 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.
7 And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste.

It is important for us to know about the man in the white robe. If Lehi had begun by describing the dreary wasteland, one might say his “dream” began as a nightmare. But it did not. It began as a vision—as a conversation with an angel who was there to teach the prophet.

The words Lehi chooses to describe his long journey are instructive to us. He says he was in a “dark and dreary wilderness” and “dark and dreary waste.” Later in the chapter he used similar phrases to describe the universal experience: “an exceedingly great mist of darkness,” and “multitudes feeling their way towards that great and spacious building” (1 Nephi 8: 23, 31).

All these bring an image of struggle within a state of disorientation. Whatever else it may be, Lehi’s is a perfect description of how we all feel at some time or other. Each of us would speak the words of Hamlet’s despair, “How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable, seem to me all the uses of this world!”{1}

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FOOTNOTES

{1} Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3.2.

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1 Nephi 8:3-4, 36-38 

The striking thing about the way Nephi describes his father’s vision is that it is bracketed between two almost identical statements:

3 And behold, because of the thing which I have seen, I have reason to rejoice in the Lord because of Nephi and also of Sam; for I have reason to suppose that they, and also many of their seed, will be saved.
4 But behold, Laman and Lemuel, I fear exceedingly because of you; for behold, methought I saw in my dream, a dark and dreary wilderness.
….
36 And it came to pass after my father had spoken all the words of his dream or vision, which were many, 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.
37 And he did exhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent, that they would hearken to his words, that perhaps the Lord would be merciful to them, and not cast them off; yea, my father did preach unto them.
38 And after he had preached unto them, and also prophesied unto them of many things, he bade them to keep the commandments of the Lord; and he did cease speaking unto them.

Since Lehi’s telling about his vision was an attempt to teach his wayward sons, it would be profitable for us to examine the vision in that light.

The account of the vision is divided into three parts. The first is Lehi’s personal struggle to get to the tree of life.{1} The second is his desire to have his family join him there. The third is a kind of cosmic overview of human experience and of the consequences of right and wrong choices.

Judging from Nephi’s words, Lehi was relating his vision to what was happening just then in the lives of Laman and Lemuel. He saw them struggling in their own dark and dreary wilderness, and was saying to them. “I understand. I have been there. There are as many roads that wind through that wilderness as there are options that confront us. Let me tell you where they go.” He gives an overview of what he sees, but he is primarily focused on two groups of people who get to the tree life. One group stays, the other turns and walks away. Lehi warns Laman and Lemuel not to be among those who turn away.
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FOOTNOTE

{1} See: 1 Nephi 8:10-12, Lehi’s description of the tree, the water, and the fruit.

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1 Nephi 8:2  

2 And it came to pass that while my father tarried in the wilderness he spake unto us, saying: Behold, I have dreamed a dream; or, in other words, I have seen a vision.

There is nothing unusual about a prophet having a vision at night while he is asleep.{1} For example, President Wilford Woodruff, explaining the weight of his responsibilities to a gathering of temple workers in Brigham City, June 24, 1894, asked,

When I have a vision of night opened continually before my eyes, and can see the mighty judgments that are about to be poured upon this world, when I know these things are true, and while I am holding this position before God and this world, can I withhold my voice from lifting up a warning to this people, and to the nations of the earth?{2}

As to the question of how Lehi could tell the difference between a dream and a vision from the Lord, the answer is very simple: When one wakes up from a dream it usually fades quickly from our memory, and we ignore it as a trick of the mind caused by only “an undigested bit of beef.” However, when one is awakened by the overpowering testimony of the Spirit that this thing was from God, then one does not wonder if this dream was really a vision. When the Lord gives a prophet a vision, its validity is not proven so much by what he sees as by the testimony of the Holy Ghost that accompanies it.
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FOOTNOTES

{1} For examples see: Daniel 2:19, 7:1-2; Acts 16:9, 18:9-11.

{2} Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 4 vols. (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1946-1949), 2:119-20.

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1 Nephi 8:19 

19 And I beheld a rod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood.

Nephi later describes the iron rod as “the word of God”:

23 And they said unto me: What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree?
24 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.
25 Wherefore, I, Nephi, did exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord; yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul, and with all the faculty which I possessed, that they would give heed to the word of God and remember to keep his commandments always in all things(1 Nephi 15:23-25).

The rod, as “the word of God,” is frequently equated with the scriptures and the words of the prophet. Because the iron rod extends alone the bank of the river, and because holding on to it is such a vivid and effective analogy for keeping God’s commandments, the rod is almost always represented as a sturdy banister—a handrail that can keep one from straying off onto forbidden paths. Describing it that way is a powerful teaching tool.

While the ideas of a banister or of the scriptures are easiest to visualize and often the most applicable, there is another possible interpretation that may be more in keeping with the covenant-related subtextual context of Nephi’s writings. It is best expressed by the Hebrew word hesed.{1}

The reality of covenants made at the Council in Heaven and to be fulfilled in this world is one of the central themes of the ancient Israelite temple drama. It is expressed most beautifully in Psalm 25,{2} and reiterated by every prophet who writes of his sode experience.{3} In the Council in Heaven we received assignments (as described in Isaiah 6) and we accepted those assignments by covenants. In this life we walk in the darkness of our forgetfulness, sometimes stumbling as we go, moving through the fog that clouds our memory of who we were, and thereby obscures the reality of who we are. Nevertheless, as the 23rd Psalm assures us,

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me (Psalms 23:4).{4}

There, the rod is a scepter, the symbol of sacral kingship. The staff is a shepherd’s crook, a symbol of priesthood. The Hebrew word translated comfort means the power to transcend sorrow.{5} So that line in the 23rd Psalm might be understood as saying, “I am empowered by the symbols of priesthood and kingship.”

Psalm 2 also shows that the iron rod is a scepter. Psalm 2 is the coronation psalm where the king quotes the Lord’s covenant:

7 I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel (Psalms 2:7-9).

That the rod of iron in this psalm is the king’s royal scepter is affirmed by John the Beloved who paraphrased the psalm when he wrote:

26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father (Revelation 2:26-27).

The Prophet Joseph clarified the meaning when he wrote:

26 And to him who overcometh, and keepeth my commandments unto the end, will I give power over many kingdoms;
27 And he shall rule them with the word of God; and they shall be in his hands as the vessels of clay in the hands of a potter; and he shall govern them by faith, with equity and justice, even as I received of my Father (JST Revelation 1:24-28).{6}

That brings us back to Nephi’s statement that the iron rod is the word of God.

We walk in this world in relative darkness as we were picking our way through a labyrinth of options and ideas. We know neither our destination nor how to get there. Yet our innate sense of Self teaches us we must be true to the law of our eternal being. Listening to the promptings of the Holy Ghost—the clearly understood, yet unspoken word of God— slowly brings to our remembrance shadows of who we are were—teaching us when and how to fulfill the covenants we made before we came here (See D&C 84:42-48).

Holding tightly to the powers and covenants of priesthood and kingship we may seem to wonder through the vicissitudes of life, but the promise is that we will arrive safely, as Nephi observed,

30 But, to be short in writing, behold, he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron;{7} and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree (1 Nephi 8:30).

If the iron rod does represent the powers of sacral kingship, then that must also presuppose the powers of priesthood, for while one can be a priest without being a king, one cannot be a king without first being a priest. It seems possible that the rod of iron seen by Lehi was a symbol of sacral kingship that is a function of legitimate priesthood. “King” is a name/title that connotes eternal covenants along with their attendant responsibilities. A possible interpretation of Lehi’s rod of iron might be this: that the way one comes to the tree of life is to hold tenaciously to the covenants one has made, and to fulfill the responsibilities they impose. As we approach the unknown with faith, fear, and hope we echo Romeo’s sentiment when he said:

But He, that hath steerage the of my course,
Directs my sail!{8}

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FOOTNOTES

{1} For a discussion of hesed see below: 1 Nephi 19:9, Testimony of the Savior. For a discussion of hesed in Psalm 25 see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 527-43; Second edition, p. 373-90.

{2} For a discussion of the 25th Psalm see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 527-43; Second edition, p. 379-90.

{3} For a discussion of the sode Experience see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 195-209; Second edition, p. 139-48.

{4} For a discussion of the 23rd Psalm see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 619-40; Second edition, p. 441-57.

{5} For a discussion of the Hebrew word translated as “comfort” see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 467-71; Second edition, p. 340-42.

{6} For another example see Revelation 19:12-16 compared with JST Revelation 19:11.
In these places the “rod of iron” is neither a banister nor a weapon, but it is a royal scepter. It is not unusual that the scepter should be made of iron. Iron was very strong, and when it was polished, it gleamed like silver.

{7} Nephi’s observation that “caught hold of the end of the rod of iron,” may refer to the end of a banister or it may refer to that end of the scepter which one grasps with one’s hand.

{8} William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act 1 Scene 4.

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1 Nephi 8:17-18  

17 And it came to pass that I was desirous that Laman and Lemuel 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.
18 And it came to pass that I saw them, but they would not come unto me and partake of the fruit.

In the first chapter of 2 Nephi, Lehi addresses those same wayward sons. There he twice uses an intriguing word, “beginning.” In 1 Nephi, it was used to mean the beginning of Israelite history, the beginning of their journey, the beginning of a book, and the beginning—before the world was. Here Lehi uses it twice. The first time is clearly before the world was (2 Nephi 1:10). The second time is not so clear. It reads:

15 But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.
16 And I desire that ye should remember to observe the statutes and the judgments of the Lord; behold, this hath been the anxiety of my soul from the beginning.
17 My heart hath been weighed down with sorrow from time to time, for I have feared, lest for the hardness of your hearts the Lord your God should come out in the fulness of his wrath upon you, that ye be cut off and destroyed forever (2 Nephi 1:15-17).

The whole tenor of Lehi’s admonition carries an eternal connotation, causing one to wonder if the words, “this hath been the anxiety of my soul from the beginning.” Does this suggest his premortal understanding of his sons’ tendency to separate themselves from God?

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1 Nephi 8:13-16  

13 And as I cast my eyes round about, that perhaps I might discover my family also, I beheld a river of water; and it ran along, and it was near the tree of which I was partaking the fruit.{1}
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 Nephi; and they stood as if they knew not whither they should go.
15 And it came to pass that I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit.
16 And it came to pass that they did come unto me and partake of the fruit also.

Joseph’s mother, Lucy Mack Smith, tells about similar dreams she and her husband had. Of her own she wrote,

…and as I traced this stream, I discovered two trees….one of them was surrounded with a bright belt, that shone like burnished gold, but far more brilliantly. … and the interpretation given me was, that [the bright tree represented her husband Joseph, who would accept the gospel] and unto him would be added intelligence, happiness, glory, and everlasting life.{2}

Joseph Smith Sr. wrote of his dream,

…beyond me was a low, but very pleasant valley, in that stood a tree such as I had never seen before. It was exceedingly handsome, insomuch that I looked upon it with wonder and admiration. Its beautiful branches spread themselves somewhat like an umbrella, and it bore a kind of fruit, in shape much like a chestnut bur, and as white as snow, or, if possible, whiter. I gazed upon the same with considerable interest, and as I was doing so, the burs or shells commenced opening and shedding their particles, or the fruit that they contained, that was of dazzling whiteness. I drew near and began to eat of it, and I found it delicious beyond description. As I was eating, I said in my heart, ‘I cannot eat this alone, I must bring my wife and children, that they may partake with me.’ Accordingly, I went and brought my family, that consisted of a wife and seven children, and we all commenced eating and praising God for this blessing. We were exceedingly happy, insomuch that our joy could not easily be expressed.{3}

An insightful idea lies within these stories: The wife sees her tree as a representation of her husband’s integrity. The husband sees his tree as a blessing that can only be fulfilled when his wife and children also come to eat the fruit.

When Joseph’s mother dictated her history, she was old, and her husband and sons were dead. She was clearly quoting something Joseph Sr. had written some years earlier, but apparently she was also quoting from an earlier account she had written of her own dream.
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FOOTNOTES

{1} See: 1 Nephi 8:10-12, Lehi’s description of the tree, the water, and the fruit.

{2} History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, 43-45.

{3} History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, 48-49.

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