When I was a young person, my parents used to take me to MBA every week. (Parents: Do you still do that?) One week, our MBA class read 1 Nephi 8 in which Lehi’s wonderful dream is recorded. After reading through the imagery of a dark and dreary waste, a tree with desirable fruit, a straight and narrow path with a long rod of iron next to it, etc., our MBA teacher gave us an assignment to come back the next week ready to describe what each element of the dream represented.
At the end of the meeting, I asked my friends, “How are we supposed to figure out what each part of this dream means?” One of the older kids spoke up and said, “Oh, just look a few chapters later and all of the answers are in there.” Really? Was I supposed to believe that The Book of Mormon was like my high school algebra book with the answers to the odd-numbered questions in the back of the book? (Of course, my algebra teacher assigned the even-numbered questions for homework).
Well, imagine my surprise when I read Chapters 11 and 12 and discovered that the answers really were in there:
| Element of Dream | Represents | Reference |
| Tree with desirable fruit | The Love of God | 1 Nephi 11:25 |
| Rod of Iron | The Word of God | 1 Nephi 11:25 |
| Great and Spacious Building | Pride of the World | 1 Nephi 11:36 |
| River of Filthy Water | Depths of Hell | 1 Nephi 12:16 |
| Mist of Darkness | Temptations of the Devil | 1 Nephi 12:17 |
In life, we are faced with many questions, some of a spiritual nature and some of a temporal nature. Regardless of the type of question, God has the answer, and it can usually be found in His word. Here are just a few examples:
| Question | Where the answer can be found |
| What happens to a soul after death? | Alma 40 |
| What should I do when I’m sick? | James 5:14-15 |
| Should little children be baptized? | Moroni 8 |
| How can I donate when I struggle to pay my bills? | Malachi 3:10 |
| Who should I go to with questions and concerns? | Alma 37:37 |
In Lehi’s dream, the Word of God was represented by the rod of iron that people held onto so they could stay on the straight and narrow path that led to the tree of life. The symbolism is obvious, as God’s Word keeps us on the right path in life that leads to the kingdom of God. If we have questions along the way, open the books — the answers are in there!
It’s Coming Next Week…
Can you guess what we’ve got in store? Watch this week for more clues.
This article has undergone ministry review and approval.
Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day. Alma37:37
Thank you for such an awesome blog!! I loved the breakdown of the dream and explanation of each part. 🙂