1 Ne 8:21 I
saw numberless concourses of people
¡°Lehi
beheld ¡®numberless concourses of people, many of
whom were pressing forward, that they might obtain the path which led unto the
tree by which [he] stood.¡¯ It is just so today. Multitudes of the earth's inhabitants respond
regularly to the Light of Christ and seek to know more of the will of him whose
they are. They seek to get on that path
which leads directly to peace here and eternal life hereafter. But navigating the strait and narrow path
takes care and caution. One's eyes must
ever be fixed upon the Lord and his glory, and thus the traveler must be
willing to forsake the extraneous and the unnecessary things which the world
offers so readily.
¡°The
Prophet Joseph Smith wrote in 1839 that ¡®there are many yet on the earth
among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle
craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept
from the truth because they know not where to find it¡¯ (D&C 123:12). In some cases, even those who find the truth
are not able to forsake the world and its trappings and thus travel
unencumbered down the narrow gospel passageway.
Indeed, it is not difficult to live the principles of the gospel and
thus to hold to the iron rod, except where one also attempts to maintain a
concurrent grasp on the world.¡± (McConkie, Millet, and Top, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol.
1, p. 59)
Merrill J. Bateman
¡°Lehi
beheld four groups of people traveling in different directions, some toward the
tree and others away from it. The first group found the path and began the
journey toward the tree. Along the way they encountered a mist of darkness
which caused them to wander off and become lost. Others pressed forward, caught
hold of the rod of iron, pressed through the mist by clinging to the rod,
arrived at the tree, and partook of the fruit. Even though they tasted the
sweetness of the fruit, they did not persist. They succumbed to the mocking of
finely dressed people who inhabited a great and spacious building across the
river. The scoffing and finger-pointing of the well-dressed caused the second
group to become ashamed, and they drifted away into forbidden paths and were
lost.
¡°The
third group pressed forward onto the path and caught hold of the rod. By
continually holding to the rod of iron, they reached the tree, fell down, and
partook of the fruit. Nephi's record of his father's vision does not elaborate
more with regard to these people. However, it is obvious that these are the
faithful, those who continually hold to the rod, those who are humbled by the
tree and its fruit. This is the only group that falls down at the foot of the
tree before partaking of the fruit.
¡°The
fourth group in Lehi's vision felt their way towards the great and spacious
building. They had little or no interest in searching for the tree or the life
it provides. After entering the building, they joined the others in pointing
the finger of scorn at Lehi and those eating the fruit. Lehi, Sariah, Sam, and
Nephi did not heed the people in the large building. But Laman and Lemuel
refused to travel the path toward the tree and partake of the fruit. This upset
Lehi, as he feared that the two eldest sons would be cast off from the presence
of the Lord. Nephi states that after father Lehi had related all the words of
the dream, he exhorted his older sons ¡®with all the
feeling of a tender parent, that they would hearken to his words¡¯ (1 Ne. 8:371 Ne. 8:37).
¡°Lehi's vision contains many symbols, including the strait and narrow path, the rod of iron, the mist of darkness, the large and spacious building, the river of water, and the tree of life. Each symbol has a special meaning, but the central message concerns the tree and its fruit.¡± (Heroes from the Book of Mormon, p. 19.)