Early in the Book of Mormon Lehi announces “Behold, I have dreamed a dream; or, in other words, I have seen a vision” (1 Nephi 8:2). It is a daunting, if not audacious, task to comment on this dream. Many books, articles, talks, symposia, and conferences have focused on this dream. The scholarship evidenced in these efforts is impressive and instructive. Therefore, this writing is not intended to add to the already impressive scholarship or to be the final word on this remarkable revelation. The hope is this writing will help the reader personally mine the dream as a rich repository of precepts by which we can abide to draw closer to God. This writing offers one perspective in hopes it will inspire the reader to seek more and more to understand and to apply what is learned.
Each time we study this dream with a sincere desire to learn and live truth, new insights and their importance and application can emerge. Many times insights can emerge from something we had not noticed before. The frequency of such experiences increase when we are striving to learn and live the truth. Over time these insights can morph and mature as we learn and live more. This is part of what makes the gospel of Jesus Christ so inexhaustible - “there is so much to know, and so much to become” (see https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/neal-a-maxwell_inexhaustible-gospel/.)
Part of what makes this dream so remarkable and valuable is its rich use of symbolism. We might struggle to understand the symbolism of this dream were it not for Nephi’s seeking to “see, and hear, and know” that which Lehi saw, heard, and came to know (1 Nephi 10:17.) The revelations Nephi received, described in 1 Nephi 11-15 and in 2 Nephi 25-33, are a companion to Lehi’s revelation. It seems that Nephi’s experience is not restricted to him. The Lord is eager to help everyone “see, hear, and know” what both Lehi and Nephi saw, heard, and knew. Combining Lehi’s and Nephi’s revelations allows us to better understand the dream’s symbolism as well as demonstrate a pattern for receiving revelation ourselves.
Symbolism is a principal means by which the Lord personalizes and deepens his instruction while also protecting us from understanding more than we are prepared to live. Why? We are held accountable for that which we know, think, say, do, and desire (see Alma 12:13-16; see also Matthew 13 for the Lord’s explanation for using a special form of symbols—parables—in his teachings to show respect for the learners current capacity and choice.) This has been true from the beginning of his dealings with his children on earth. It also sets a requirement that we must truly search to understand. This is not like reading a comic book or a reading primer in which the meaning is obvious. Seeking to know the things of God requires our best effort and self. Doing so will stretch us beyond our natural capacity. Since these truths are of greatest worth, we should not be surprised they require our greatest effort to understand and live.
Hopefully, the various writings prefaced with the title “Lehi’s Dream” will prove worthy of your time and attention. As always, feedback is welcomed and appreciated.
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