At the end of chapter seven, Lehi offers sacrifices to the Lord to thank Him for the safe return of his sons and of Ishmael’s family.
At the beginning of chapter eight, the family prepares for the future by gathering grains and seeds of every kind, until one day when Lehi gathers his family and says:
2. 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.
My first thought when I read this verse was to wonder what the family’s reaction is to this pronouncement. After all, Lehi had a vision and now they were in the wilderness. What would the outcome of this vision be?
3. And behold, because of the thing which I have seen, I have reason to rejoice in the Lord because of Nephi and also of Sam; for I have reason to suppose that they, and also many of their seed, will be saved.
4. But behold, Laman and Lemuel, I fear exceedingly because of you; for behold, methought I saw in my dream, a dark and dreary wilderness.
5. 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.
6. And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.
7. And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste.
8. 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.
I doubt any of us will ever forget the marvelous conference address offered by Elder David Bednar on the topic of tender mercies. Ever since then, my ears perk up whenever I hear the phrase. It’s so very true – the Lord’s tender mercies are upon us always.
9. And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious field.
10. And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.
11. 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.
Artists have offered their own opinion as to what the fruit looked like. Some portray it as being a type of apple, while others sketch it to resemble a pear. I would offer that it was probably very dissimilar to anything we’ve seen before.
I will continue with the discussion of Lehi’s dream tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some related blogs:
Family Home Evening: The Tree of Life
All Things Remind Us of Christ