Lehi's Version of the Tree of Life

I observed that Lehi is led by a man in a white robe into a desolate wilderness and apparently abandoned, for there is no one for him to ask directions. He is obedient, yet when he is desparate, he finds himself alone. His solution - prayer.

He is shown a field and the tree of life. He makes his way to the tree and finds it to be most desirable. His journey to the tree did not include the river path, the iron rod or the mist of darkness. Still, his path was difficult and his guide was of God.

We are not told of the method used by the rest of the family, but he sees them at the head of the river which is along the path, so we assume that was the method they used to arrive there. When he beckons , they come and partake, except Laman and Lemuel who seem to have no desire to partake, no matter how delicious the others make it sound. There is a level of commitment that some, no matter how delicious the fruit and how wonderful a life they are promised, are not willing to make. The lure of the world, no matter how unfulfilling, is what they are drawn to and if they never make the effort to change their focus, it is where they prefer to remain. Despite the beckoning of those who love them, in the end they alone must make the choice.

It is worth noting the plight of those who partake of the fruit and are ashamed. While others lost their way, these endured the thick and frightening darkness by holding to the iron rod. Yet, even after tasting of the fruit, they allowed other influences to lead them away.

What could those influences have been? What were the conversations along the way? What was the dialogue in their own minds as they traveled and after they ate? Were there feelings of unworthiness despite their successfully partaking of the fruit? What messages came from the Great and Spacious Building that they found so persuasive? Were they encouraged by others along the way to hold to the rod, despite their feeling that this was not really the path for them, that even though they wanted what was at the end, they did not allow themselves to believe that they were the "type" that deserved to be or needed to be or would be comfortable under the tree with its wonderful fruit?

It is important to note that when they arrived at the tree and partook of the fruit, there was more to come. The travelers still had to endure to the end faithfully.

As to the Great and Spacious Building, those who were in the attitude of mocking were those whom most considered to be successful. They were well dressed and of all ages. Yet, they mocked those who chose to pursue the tree. Also, while large n8umbers make the Great and Spacious Building their goal, many died trying, or simply wandered off and were lost. The "successful" had to work at that type of success, also. The "preacher" in the book of Ecclesiastes states that he had spent his life in pursuit of wealth and status and had neglected his spiritual growth. In the end, he says it was all vanity, that is empty, or without meaning. That is the danger when we focus our lives on the pursuits of the world, only. Yet when we focus on the pursuits of the world, as we must do, and at the same time focus on our spiritual lives by taking the time to pray, meditate on the things we read, teach these principles to each other and to our families and seek and obey the will of God, then worldly status, wealth and the freedoms they bring become more meaningful and useful.