Lehi's dream, and Nephi's subsequent revelations in response to the dream, constitutes one of the major themes of this portion of the Book of Mormon. I can think of few passages of scripture that are as seminal to the Latter-day Saint experience than this. The Book of Mormon contains several such passages - King Benjamin's speech, the ministry of Ammon and his brethren amongst the Lamanites, the ministry of Alma and his companions, the final words inscribed by Moroni before burying the plates, and of course, the crowning event in the Book of Mormon: Christ's personal visit to the American continent. More on each of those will be forthcoming.
The thing that interests me about this vision is it's uniqueness. The doctrines found in the other instances are relatively common themes found all over in the scriptures - loving each other, serving God, miraculous healings, and dramatic conversions. But Lehi's dream is interesting in that it is unlike any other vision recorded anywhere in the scriptures. The closest one that comes to my mind is that of Daniel's time when King Nebuchadnezzar saw the stone cut out of the mountain without hands... Owing to such uniqueness, it speaks of the divine origins of the Book of Mormon and that Joseph simply could not have made this up out of existing cloth.
I won't go into the particulars of the dream. I think that it's been hashed over a lot and there are many excellent commentaries - the best of which is probably found in the following chapters of 1 Nephi... But there are a couple of things I wanted to point out that grab my attention each time I read the book:
1. The people who were able to reach the tree of life were able to do so only after "clinging" to the iron rod - or later it says "continually holding to the iron rod". I know some of the characteristics of iron: it does not bend (it's very brittle), it does not stretch (steel will bend and stretch much more easily), and it does very well under compression (as opposed to steel, which performs better in tension). Iron is used in place of stone in buildings where weight and mass are a concern, because it performs well as a column. Some of the most beautiful work done in the 19th century for store front facades was done in iron. It is still highly prized for it's strength and durability - you can find it used in everything from gates and fences to bathtubs and sinks. In this instance, the fact that it does not bend under pressure is instructive. We know that the iron rod is the word of God, which also does not bend under pressure. Thus, if we cling to the rod of iron, continually holding to it, we will have a safe and sure way of ensuring safety in spite of mists of darkness.
2. The great and spacious building was high in the air - there was no foundation. Reminds me of the words of the Savior - build on the rock of the gospel and you are built on a sure foundation, whereon of men build they cannot fall. Nephi later tells us that the building does fall, and great is the fall of it. The pride, arrogance, and evil designs of the world will all come to naught. Their haughtiness and vaunted natures will ensure that. We must not heed them in their mocking.
3. People choose their own path. They are wandering, many of these people, in forbidden areas. We must find a way to reach them. Lehi did this by beckoning to his family with a loud voice. If we hearken to our prophet's voice we will be able to come and partake of this fruit - which is the love of God. What else could you possibly want in your life?
One last thought for today. Nephi made to sets of plates. He had kept his own record on the Large Plates of Nephi, but then made this set of Small Plates. He says he doesn't know why he's doing this, but he feels like it's important. Imagine, after having kept a journal for several years, you feel inspired to go and make a duplicate journal. Keep in mind, writing on the plates was not an easy task... Nephi surely must have questioned why he was doing this. But he did it.
Little did he know that 1000 years later (or maybe he did know after all!) Mormon would come across these plates and decide to include them in his record. Mormon was abridging the record of a fallen and nearly destroyed people. He had just finished abridging the record thus far and found much on these plates that was worth while - so he threw them in there.
Little did Nephi or Mormon know that in 1829 (more than 2500 years after Nephi, and more than 1400 years after Mormon) that Joseph Smith would succumb to the desire to impress Martin Harris and relinquish the 116 pages of translation accomplished to that point. These pages have been lost to history - no one knows what became of them. This so-called Book of Lehi was taken from the Lehi's plates and some of the Large Plates of Nephi.
So we never know what events will transpire to make sure that the work of God is able to continue. Sometimes seemingly random things done in faith without apparent immediate consequence or result will bear fruit - in this case 2500 years later... Let's follow the Lord's inspiration and see what happens! It's bound to be good for us...
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