I do love when the iron rod comes into the picture when learning about the Tree of Life. I love it because it is what gives me hope. To know that a guide and a strength and a course of safety has been given to me makes me feel safe and secure. In verse 1 Nephi 8:30 Lehi speaks about when he saw "other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press ther way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree." There were a few words that stood out to me in this verse. First, the words he uses to describe the actions of this group stood out to me. They had to "press" their way forward and "continually holding fast" and when they got there they "fell down". These words describe a very trying journey to get to the tree. It wasn't an easy breezy walk where the sun was shining down on their path and the birds were chirping. There was a mist of darkness, a nasty river they could fall and get lost in, crazy different paths or roads, people making fun of them trying to put doubt into their minds or lust from their lavish lifestyle they think they live. The words tell me they they had to work hard and hold on tight to the rod to stay on the strait and narrow path. When they finally make it they fall. Do they fall from tiredness or an overwhelming feeling of gratitude? I don't know. The path we need to stay on is a narrow path, meaning the lines have been drawn. There is a right and there is a wrong. It won't ALWAYS be totally clear what the path is, that is why we were given an iron rod to cling to...so that we don't lose the path. How thankful I am for that.
I am sure you have noticed that I sef evaluate with questions alot. I guess it is how I think when I read the scriptures. I am not a great historian, but I do like to apply the scriptures to my life. So my question right now is...on this journey to the tree of life, where do I stand? I feel pretty good about the life I live so I feel like I am clinging to the iron rod. I am far from perfect, but I am trying hard to continually be better and not go backwards. It is a good question to ask ourselves from time to time.
Well, I am thinking I will finish up chapter 8 tomorrow. I don't feel like I was able to dive into it as deeply as I had hoped to. I am not sure how capable my mind is to dig deep, but as I keep trying I think I will do better and better every time around.
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Maggie - I don't always get a chance to come here and comment, so I hope I'm not too late with my comments on Chapter 8. I decided I'd reread the chapter, since you were hoping for a lot of participation, and here is my own post about what I thought was interesting:
ReplyDeletev3: Lehi says that, because of his dream, he has reason to rejoice over Nephi, Sam and "many of their seed." Yet in the narration, we don't see signs of their seed - only of the two of them. I guess when I read that, I wondered a little bit about what that meant: do we, in coming to Christ, also represent our seed? You know, when children are sealed to parents in the temple, they have no covenant to make; they are just promised all the blessings of Abraham (of the fathers). This is interesting to me because it seems that even if the children themselves don't partake, they are covered by the obedience of their parents. Perhaps that sealing is strong enough to save the children and bring them back into the fold, if ever they go astray. I wonder maybe if the fruit in the dream is the sealing power (the love of God)...
v5-7: Now here's something interesting: the man in the white robe commands Lehi to follow him, which Lehi does, and he leads Lehi to a dark and dreary waste. Then we hear no more of him. Who is this angel of white? Isn't white supposed to represent purity? Are we sometimes intentionally led to the dark and dreary waste by those who wish good for us? It kind of gives a whole new meaning to Lehi's love of opposition in 2 Nephi 2:11 (or should I say love/hate relationship ...).
v14: Isn't it interesting that Lehi's family "stood as if they knew not whither they should go"? It makes me think that Lehi's family was of a different sort than we imagine. Like this: what if Lehi and his family were just Sunday Jews (or, Saturday Jews, I guess) in that they really weren't these holy people. But then God calls on Lehi to be a prophet, Lehi takes up the role but doesn't really know how to do it well. They leave Jerusalem when commanded and there's suddenly a division in teh family: Laman and Lemuel, who might have been good Saturday Jews think they're dad is cracked, because all of their good Saturday Jew friends were back in Jerusalem and they didn't seem like bad people (they are just like we used to be before our crackpot father started getting visions); Nephi and Sam, who might have decided "Honor thy Father" meant something important weren't necessarily spiritually strong intially, but as they obeyed their Father (and prayed to know the mysteries), they came to see that their father was right. This sort of imaginary scenario seems to explain both this verse ("We're just Saturday Jews and we don't know what to do...") and a whole lot of other things, such as Laman and Lemuals inability to understand and their rebelliousness; Nephi's struggles to love his brothers (and his enemies), and a lot of other little things. Or I could be wrong.
v.35: And then, Laman and Lemuel never even partake of the fruit. I mean, compare this with those that do and then fall away. It isn't as though Laman and Lemuel even took the fruit. They could just be Saturday Jews that refuse to listen. Even Nephi, Sam and Sariah hadn't taken the fruit up to this point (metaphorically, at least). So, shouldn't we be a little more forgiving toward these wayward brothers? I mean, it seems like they weren't that bad off, by this account.
Whew, that was long.
So, I know I already put a comment longer than your post on here, but I'm commenting a second time because now, it's related to the actual post that you put up.
ReplyDeleteWhen Nephi receives his interpretation of the dream a couple chapters later, the Angel tells him the iron rod is the word of God, which we often equate with the scriptures. I like that analogy, because now "pressing foward...holding fast" helps me understand the role the word of God - and the scriptures - should mean in my life. Nephi's also famous for saying we should "feast on the word" so it's no wonder his interpretation of the dream is what it is.
I like to think that your blog is one way in which you are "holding fast" to the iron rod and it encourages me in my scripture study as well. It also encourages me to write a lot, I guess.
And don't worry about deep scripture diving. Sometimes forcing it just makes it worse. If you make the effort and nothing comes of it, move on. It could be that perhaps you'll need to come back to it when your situation has changed. Then you can worry about depth.
what is weird is that I made a comment last night in response to your comments. Now it is all gone. I don't know if I can remember it all, but thank you for your responses. I really really appreciate the time you take to read and reaspond. It is great for my learning. I like what you said about those who love us taking us through the tough things so we can learn. I feel like I have times I do that with Dani and it helps me face trials better to know that it is because i am loved that I have them. My commments yesterday were better, I will try to remember them, this is all I have for now! Thanks again!
ReplyDelete