1 Nephi 8-10

LEHI'S VISION OF THE TREE OF LIFE (Chapters 8-10)

(Ask class members to relate the story of the vision of the tree of life, then ask the class for insights into the relevance to their lives found in the symbols.  A few of my insights follow.)

The Dark and Dreary Wilderness

It's important to notice what happened to Lehi before he saw the tree of life.

"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...

"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.

"And it came to pass that he spake unto, and bade me follow him.

"And it came to pass that as I followed him, I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste." (8:4-7)

Lehi found himself in a wilderness.  This is very significant.

A wilderness to Lehi would not have been just a barren place, but a life-threatening, terrifying place, full of ravenous wild animals, devoid of water or edible vegetation, and sprinkled with murderous highwaymen.  A wilderness would have had no dwellings or places of safety and refuge.  Remember, Lehi had just traveled through such a wilderness between Jerusalem and the Red Sea, eating uncooked meat for the fear of drawing attention of enemies or animals with the smoke of a fire.  In the dream, as in real life, Lehi did not put himself in the wilderness; the Lord put him there.

"And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies."  (8:8)

Many people today will say, when they find themselves in a "wilderness" due to no fault of their own, "The God I believe in would never (fill in the blank with what injustice they see in the world)."  But Lehi was not worshipping a "Franken-God" (to borrow a term from pastor and newspaper columnist Eldon Peterson of the Herald Journal)  a god of his own creation.  Lehi knew the character of the God he worshipped.  This is why we don't see him shaking his fist at heaven, but instead crying to God for mercy.  He knew that the wilderness was part of his learning experience or God would not have put him there.  He also knew that God, in his tender mercy, would bring him back out of it to a situation of greater light and love, if he exercised his faith in him.  And he did.

Where have we seen that phrase "tender mercies" before? 

"But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance." (1:20)

Even though we know intellectually that this life is a time of trial and learning, we are always shocked when we find ourselves in a wildernesss. We expect that the tender mercies of the Lord will make us "mighty even unto never having a need of deliverance."  We expect that if we follow the Lord, we'll never meet up with trouble, we'll always be fed manna, and everything will be rainbows without floods.  But that's not the way it is.  We will be made mighty, even unto the power of deliverance, just as was Lehi in his dream and in his life.

"And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious field.  And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.  And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit 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 whiteness that I had ever seen.  And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy..." (8:9-12)

Even though he cried unto the Lord for help, and even though the Lord answered his prayer, Lehi was still required to "go forth and partake."  Personal effort is always necessary.  The fruit is never dropped in our mouths.

The Four Groups of People

1. Those who start on the path to the tree, but then become lost in the mist of darkness.  They give in to the temptations of the devil, or the hardships (or luxuries) of life.  (v. 23)
2. Those who hold to the rod of iron until they reach the tree and partake of the fruit, but then become embarrassed and fall away. (v. 24)  They are distracted by worldliness, pride, pursuit of temporal goals, etc.  Partaking of the fruit (the atonement of Jesus Christ) is not a one-time, end-of-your-life thing, but a part of the journey.  The plan of salvation is not as linear as the vision of the tree of life.  (see L. Tom Perry, Ensign, Nov. 1995)
3. Those who hold to the rod of iron until they reach the tree and partake of the fruit, and who then remain faithful (v. 30).  Note, Lehi saw "multitudes" doing this, "pressing their way forward, continually holding fast."  That's encouraging!  Also, note the spelling of the word strait in "strait and narrow path" (v. 20).  A straight path doesn't turn, switchback, climb, drop, veer, or have rocks or bumps.  But that's not the kind of path we're talking about.  It is a strait path, which means it is narrow, with strict requirements.  The interpretation of the path is never given, but we can figure it out from other scriptures easily enough:  It is the keeping of covenants.
4. Those who never start on the path but instead go directly toward the great and spacious building (v. 31). 

The fearsome Angel's Landing trail

in Zion National Park, Southern Utah

with its chain of iron

reminds me of the challenges of

following the Strait and Narrow Path

with its Rod of Iron.

Four Steps to Reaching the Tree of Life

1. Commence on the path (8:22).  The first three groups did this.
2. Catch hold of the rod (8:24).  The second and third groups did this (v. 24, v. 30).
3. Cling to the rod (8:24).  The second and third groups pressed forward, they did not have a casual grip (v. 24, v. 30).
4. Continue (8:30).  The third group is the only one who hung onto the rod for dear life continually.

"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.  Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father:  Ye shall have eternal life." (2 Ne. 31:20)

NEPHI'S DOUBLE VISION

Whenever we receive a revelation from the prophet, it is our privilege to ask for a validation of it from the Spirit, if we need it.  Nephi went beyond:  he had a desire to see the whole vision for himself, and his desire was granted and even expanded upon.  Nephi saw a vision within a vision, the second vision being the interpretation of the first vision.  The first vision was similar to his father's vision, and the second vision explained the meaning of the symbols through prophecies that would take place in either the Holy Land or the Promised Land.  Here is a brief outline:

• The Tree of Life (11:8-23) is explained through a vision of Jerusalem, Nazareth, the Mother of Christ, the Infant Christ-Child.  It is the love of God the Father, manifested in His condescension (becoming the literal father of a part-mortal).
• The Rod of Iron (11:24) is explained through a vision of Christ's ministry in Israel and His faithful followers.  It is the word of God.
• The Fountain of Living Waters (11:24-31) is explained through a vision of John the Baptist's ministry, the baptism of Christ, the descent of the Holy Ghost, Christ's ministry in Israel and rejection by the Jews, the 12 apostles, the ministry of angels, and the miracles of Jesus.  It is the love of God the Son, manifested in His condescension (becoming part human and dwelling upon the earth to minister and redeem).
• The Large and Spacious Building (11:32-35) is explained through a vision of the trials of Christ, His crucifixion, and the persecution of His apostles.  It is the House of Israel's rejection of the gospel in favor of the wisdom of the world.
• The Great Fall of the Building (11:36) is explained through a vision of the Great Apostacy.  It is the downfall and destruction of those who reject the gospel.

Interjected at this point is a vision of the Land of Promise (America), many generations of warring factions, darkness and massive natural disasters, the descent of the resurrected Christ to the survivors, the American 12 apostles, and generations of righteousness among the Nephites.

• The Fountain (or spring) of Filthy Water (12:13-16) is explained through a vision of the wars of the Nephites and Lamanites.  It is the depths of hell.
• The Mists of Darkness (12:17) are identified as the temptations of the devil.
• The Large and Spacious Building (12:18) is identified as pride.
• The Great and Terrible Gulf (12:18-23) is explained through a vision of the destruction of the Nephite civilization and the Apostacy in America.  It is the word of the justice of God.

The Tree of Life vision is only half of the vision that Nephi saw.  Chapters 13-14 tell the remainder of the prophecy, which regards the Restoration and the Gathering of the House of Israel prior to the Last Days.  It's the happy ending!  Nephi also viewed the Last Days and the end of the world, but was commanded to refer his readers to The Revelation of John rather than write it himself.

HAVING VISIONS, AND HAVING VISION

Visions from the Lord are often omniscient in nature, as the Lord is omniscient (or able to see all).

"Thus saith the Lord your God, even Jesus Christ, the Great I Am, Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the same which looked upon the wide expanse of eternity, and all the seraphic hosts of heaven, before the world was made; the same which knoweth all things, for all things are present before mine eyes." (D&C 38:1-2)

I live in a mountain valley with Preston, Idaho at one end, and Avon, Utah at the other.  If I want to see Preston and Avon and all the towns and farms between, I can get in my car and drive from one end to the other, and I would be able to see a certain dimension of those places over a period of an hour or two.  But above the valley, there is a peak called Mount Logan. 

When I am standing on Mount Logan, I am able to see all of the communities, the marshes, the rivers, the farms at the same time, rather than in a linear way.  When God offers an omniscient vision such as Nephi had, he pulls the seer up to stand beside him and view the entire panorama at once.  (Credit for this idea goes to Jerry Wilson, former instructor at the Logan Institute of Religion.)

Similarly in omniscient visions, there is no linear time, but all can be seen at once.  That fact is reflected in the prophetic future tense used to record visions.  Tense discrepancies are very common, since the tense doesn't matter.  You can see future, past and present tense all three in 11:27:  the prophet who should prepare the way (future); the Lamb went forth and was baptized (past); heavens open and the Holy Ghost comes and abides (present).

Nephi explained the reason that he was able to have this wonderful vision before he related the vision to us.  It was because he asked.  "For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost..." (10:19) 

As a piano teacher, I love teaching all ages.  Beginners are fun; they are so excited about every new thing.  But it's really fun to have advanced students.  There is so much wonderful material you can share with an advanced student.  You can explain to them the fascinating theory by which the piece is constructed, the history of the composer and the reasons he wrote the piece, the nuances and techniques that can be used to bring out the beauty of the music, and it is a delight to share this with them.

I have the feeling that the Lord loves having "advanced students" like Nephi as well.  If you are a "beginning" gospel student, he loves seeing your excitement, but don't stay in the "intermediate" stage forever:  become an "advanced" student!  We have all the information and inspiration necessary to be "advanced."  Get up on the mountain!

"In this dispensation of the fulness of times, the revelation superhighway has been carrying heavy traffic of eternal truth ever since that day in the spring of 1820 when the Lord answered a farm boy's fervent prayer in the Sacred Grove and ushered in the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ."  (Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign, Nov. 1995, p. 75)

We may not see the heavens opened, as did Joseph Smith, and we may not see the panoramic vision of the tree of life as did Nephi, but we can stand on a mountaintop and gain an eternal perspective that will guide us through our own lives.  The "revelation superhighway" is open to us.

"In our own lives, in our daily workaday world, we can create our own 'mountaintop experience' so unique and personal that I wonder why more of us do not readily do so.  The spiritual mountaintop of which I speak is the development and refining of a testimony of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Just as we can stand on the top of any great mountain and experience an awe-inspiring panorama, I believe we can stand in our own places and experience overwhelming awe in knowing that the Savior, in an act of love which defies mortal understanding, gave his life in taking upon himself our pain and suffering...

"It is in the development of our testimonies, in the moving even partway up the mountain and out of our comfort zones, that I think we begin to approach our own personal, spiritual mountaintop where we can receive inspiration and truth as never before." (Jack H. Goaslind, Ensign, Nov. 1995, p. 9, 11)

Old Testament Lesson #4 "Because of My Transgression My Eyes are Opened"

(Moses 4; 5:1-5; 6:48-62)

(Photo from 40 Naturally Beautiful Photos of Trees)

Enoch taught, "Because that Adam fell, we are; and by his fall came death; and we are made partakers of misery and woe" (Moses 6:48).  But Lehi taught, "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25).  Both men were prophets; both taught the truth.  The Fall of Man was the result of the greatest dilemma ever known, and resulted in the greatest paradox ever known.

THE GREAT DILEMMA
In the Garden of Eden, our Heavenly Father gave Adam and Eve two commandments, the first of which could only be kept by breaking the second.  He commanded them to multiply and replenish the earth, and then he commanded them to stay away from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which provided the fruit that would change their bodies to a mortal state, giving them the ability to procreate.  In this paradise, we find the only situation ever in which God issued a commandment that He really wanted disobeyed.

In order to find the reason God created this dilemma, we need to understand three things:

• First, the characteristics of God--specifically what He cannot do and still be God;
• Second, what the plan was for God's children;
• Third, who Adam and Eve really were.

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD

First, a little tip:  I recommend that you choose a particular color of pencil and as you study the scriptures, you mark the characteristics of God in that color.  I use yellow because it makes me think of the sun, the Celestial Glory, and all that.  (Credit for this idea goes to Jerry Wilson, former instructor at Logan LDS Institute.)  If you haven't done this before, you may be surprised to learn many things about God that Satan still does not know.

For our purposes today, we are going to discuss specifically some of the things that God cannot do.

1. "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man" (James 1:13). "For I say unto you that whatsoever is good cometh from God, and whatsoever is evil cometh from the devil" (Alma 5:4). God will never command us to do something that will bring us misery. Neither can he create an environment that has evil in it. This is what Satan does.
2. "The works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught" (D&C 3:1).  God cannot fail.
3. "The Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance" (Alma 45:16). Nothing unholy can be in His presence.
4. "For as I, the Lord God, liveth, even so my words cannot return void, for as they go forth out of my mouth they must be fulfilled" (Moses 4:30).  Any consequence God pronounces will come to pass because God cannot retract his words.

GOD'S PLAN FOR HIS CHILDREN

"And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; and we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them" (Abr. 3:24-26).

If the point of the whole plan was to test man by how he chooses to obey or disobey God, the vital component of that plan was the agency of man.  There are four elements necessary for agency:

1. Laws
2. Opposites
3. Power to choose
4. Knowledge

(Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 26)

This is where we hit up against the great dilemma.  When God created the earth, it was perfect.  This is because God only makes good things.  "And I, God, saw everything that I had made, and behold, all things which I had made were very good" (Moses 2:31), or, to use Abraham's words: "And the gods watched those things which they had ordered until they obeyed" (Abr. 4:18)

So where would the opposing choices come from, if everything God makes is good and obeys?  It was necessary that the state of the world be changed so it would have good and evil, virtue and vice, pleasure and pain, health and sickness, but God could not do that and still be God.  Someone else would have to cause that to happen.

"And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter" (2 Nephi 2:15).  The fruit of the Tree of Life was eternal life, life like God and with God (1 Ne. 15:36); the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was death, first spiritual (a separation from God) and then physical.  "And I, the Lord God, commanded the man, saying: Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee; but, remember that I forbid it, for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Moses 3:16-17).

God needed Adam and Eve to partake of that tree to gain knowledge and to become mortal and have children and put the great plan into play.  So why didn't He just command them to partake of the tree?  Because God only commands us to do things that bring joy.  "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:3).  Eating the fruit of the tree would plunge Adam and Eve into a world of pain and sorrow.

He also would not command someone to do something that would separate them from Him. "He inviteth all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none..." (2 Ne. 26:33).  Partaking of the fruit of the second tree would make Adam and Eve unholy and unable to remain in God's presence, the type of spiritual death that is mortal life.  But it would also allow them to keep the first commandment, the command to begin mortality for all the spirit children of God.

Of the four elements of agency, only three existed in the garden for Adam and Eve. They had rules, they had opposition, and they had the power to choose, but they did not have knowledge before they partook of the tree.

God therefore provided them a warning by way of the commandment. He told them what the consequence of eating the fruit would be, so that they could make an informed decision despite having no knowledge themselves.  Since His words are always fulfilled, when Adam and Eve partook of the fruit, there was no possibility that the Fall would not occur.  At the same time, He provided them an encouragement to break the commandment by reminding them, "thou mayest choose for thyself".

ADAM AND EVE WERE NOBLE AND GREAT CHILDREN OF GOD

God allowed Satan to enter the garden and tempt Eve.  He had not created Satan to be evil, but Satan had agency in the premortal existence like everyone else, and he had chosen evil.  Satan did not understand Heavenly Father's plan and thought that he (Satan) had the ability to mess it up. Heavenly Father, however, is omnipotent, and knew what Satan would do. He is also always successful and knew His plan would be implemented, albeit unknowingly, by Satan.  Satan entered the garden, approached Eve when she was alone and unable to counsel with her husband, and he appealed to her divine nature: "And the serpent said unto the woman: Ye shall not surely die; for as God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" (Moses 4:10-11).  Did Eve want to be like her Heavenly Parents?  Absolutely!  So she partook of the fruit.  Then she found Adam and gave it to him.

When Heavenly Father asked Adam whether he had partaken of the fruit, Adam gave the right answer:  "The woman thou gavest me, and commandest that she should remain with me, she gave me of the fruit of the tree and I did eat" (Moses 4:18).  God had married them and commanded them to be bound together (Moses 3:24), and Adam honored that eternal covenant, even at the loss of paradise.

When God asked Eve what she had done, she simply told the truth: "The serpent beguiled me and I did eat" (Moses 4:19).  Who was cursed for this disobedience?  Only Satan.  "Because thou hast done this thou shalt be cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life" (Moses 4:20).

Both Adam and Eve had chosen what the Lord wanted them to choose, and both were blessed.  Eve was blessed to be able to bear children.  "I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee" (Moses 4:22).  The Hebrew word translated as "sorrow" in this passage refers to "pain," not "sadness."  "Multiply" means repetition, not an increase in intensity.  So Eve was promised that she would pass through the pain of childbirth many times (Camille Fronk Olson, Women of the Old Testament, p. 16).  This was exactly what she wanted, and what God wanted.  In addition, she was blessed to desire her husband, bringing joy to her marriage and her life.  And she was blessed to have her husband "rule over her."  This meant he had a "governing responsibility to provide for, to protect, to strengthen and shield [his] wife" (Pres. Hinckley, Ensign, Nov. 1991, p. 99).

Eve was also given the great blessing that she and her children would always be more powerful than the devil.  Speaking to Satan, God said, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed; and he shall bruise [or crush] thy head, and thou shalt [only] bruise his heel" (Moses 4:21).  Eve's children would have an enmity, a natural aversion to evil: they would always be warned against it.  Never again would the devil have power to completely fool anyone as he did Eve.  The ability to discern evil is a divinely bestowed blessing which every mortal being possesses through the Light of Christ.  And although Satan would be allowed to tempt mortal men, they would always have the ability to resist or overcome that temptation.  "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able" (1 Cor. 10:13).  Infinitely multiplying the ability to conquer Satan, the Savior's Atonement would negate all errors and failings and sins for any of the children of men who would simply repent and call upon His name.

Adam was blessed to have the earth cursed for his sake (Moses 4:23).  This would give him the opportunity to learn and grow through the necessity of working.  "Work is the miracle by which talent is brought to the surface and dreams become reality.  There is simply no substitute under the heavens for productive labor.  It is the process by which idle visions become dynamic achievements" (Pres. Hinckley, Standing for Something, p. 80).

After the Fall, Adam stated, "Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God" (Moses 5:10).  Why would he say that?  The result of partaking of the tree was death, both spiritual and temporal, just as God had said it would be!  Eve's statement explains:  "And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient" (Moses 5:11).  The key to the joy lies in the word "redemption."

THE JOY OF OUR REDEMPTION

Let's return to the opening quote from Adam's fourth-great-grandson Enoch: "Because that Adam fell, we are; and by his fall came death; and we are made partakers of misery and woe. Behold Satan hath come among the children of men, and tempteth them to worship him; and men have become carnal, sensual, and devilish, and are shut out from the presence of God." But now let's add the next sentence: "But God hath made known unto our fathers that all men must repent" (Moses 6:48-50).  Having entered into mortal life by partaking of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the Atonement of Jesus Christ provided the way that men could also partake of the Tree of Life, which is the love of God manifest in His Atonement.  The fruit of this tree sanctifies us for eternal life (see 1 Ne. 11).  As the prophet Alma taught, the way to partake of it is simple (although not easy):  "Come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye also may be partakers of the fruit of the tree of life" (Alma 5:62)

Despite the "misery and woe" which surround us on this fallen earth, through the Atonement we can repent and be redeemed. As we live in a state of redemption by continual repenting, we can become "at one" with God more and more of the time, experiencing more and more joy even in our earthly estate, until in the end we are finally redeemed to a fullness of joy. "And the Lord showed Enoch all things, even unto the end of the world; and he saw the day of the righteous, the hour of their redemption, and received a fulness of joy" (Moses 7:67). 

Which leads us right back to Lehi's statement:  "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25).