Not long after Lehi’s family was reunited in the wilderness, Lehi calls them together to share something. First, he tells them he had a dream, then he adds that he considers the dream to be a vision. Although the difference might seem subtle to us, I think it’s quite significant. Dreams can come in many kinds—some with great meaning, others perhaps just escapes of the imagination. When Lehi specifies that his dream was a vision, he is providing an important example for us. We need to ponder those experiences of the mind and soul, whether in our conscious or unconscious state, and when we have a conviction that the experience goes beyond a mere flight of fancy, we need to have the faith to be able to say so, and even more importantly, heed the teaching of what the experience tells us through our actions.
In this case, the experience is a very rich one. No wonder Lehi was convinced that it was a vision. There are so many specific details he can remember, and they all seem to fit together in some way. I don’t know about you, but I can count on one hand the number of dreams I can remember in great detail, and none are as vivid and internally consistent as Lehi’s. Most of mine leave strong emotional impressions with maybe one or two images that really stay with me, and are usually fairly disjointed in how they move from one scene to the next.
This is a chapter you need to read yourself to get a full sense of what Lehi is unfolding to his family and, through his son Nephi's inscriptions on the plates translated by Joseph Smith, to us. The symbolism and themes the chapter introduces will stay with us throughout the Book of Mormon, and again center on the theme of family.
In fact, before relating any details from his vision, Lehi first tells his sons what he has learned regarding what lies ahead for them. He is not telling the future as though it is set in stone. Instead, he is trying to motivate them to use his experience for their benefit—hoping to influence the choices they make. You may not be surprised that Lehi expresses hope regarding Nephi and Sam based on what he has seen of them and the generations following them, and he expresses alarm regarding Laman and Lemuel.
Now to the vision. I’ll just briefly sketch it out here. We’ll have an opportunity to discuss the symbolism in future chapters.
· Lehi finds himself in a “dark and dreary” wilderness
· A man in a white robe appears to him and leads him onward
· Lehi prays to the Lord for mercy after traveling in darkness for many hours
· After his prayer, he sees a large and spacious field, with a tree whose fruit seems very desirable
· Lehi eats the fruit, describes the happiness he feels from doing so, and immediately looks around in hopes of sharing the fruit with his family.
· He calls to his wife Sariah and to Nephi and Sam, and they come and eat of the fruit as well
· He sees Laman and Lemuel at the head of a river in the distance, but they will not come to eat the fruit
· Where Laman and Lemuel are, Lehi sees a narrow path alongside the river. The path and a rod of iron both lead to the tree.
· Many people begin on the path, but a mist of darkness arises and some are lost, while others grab hold of the iron rod to guide themselves to the tree
· Lehi sees a “great and spacious” building suspended in the air on the other side of the river
· The people in the building point and mock at those who eat of the fruit from the tree, leading some of those who eat to feel ashamed and wander away from the path they had previously traveled
· Others (including Lehi, Sariah, Nephi and Sam) do not heed the mocking voices from the great and spacious building
What strikes me about the people in the great and spacious building is the hollowness of an existence that seems to be based mainly on tearing down other people, with little reference to building anyone up (including themselves).
Once Lehi finishes his account, he pleads with Laman and Lemuel to hearken to his words and the Lord’s commandments so that they might find happiness and communion with the Lord. There’s this emotional mix of anxiety and hope that Lehi feels for his children, which most fathers and mothers can appreciate through their own experiences in watching their kids make the decisions that will ultimately determine how their lives take shape.
You can read the chapter here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/8?lang=eng
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