Book of Mormon Lesson Plan 3

Introduction

God often uses symbolic dreams in the scriptures to communicate with his children, to warn them of the consequences of sin or alert them to what is coming. Briefly discuss some examples:

• King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the image and the stone rolling forth to fill the whole earth. (Revelation of the future of the Kingdom of God.)
  
• Pharaoh’s dream of the 7 healthy cattle and 7 sick cattle. (Revelation of warning to prepare for the coming famine.)
  
• Peter’s vision of the sheet with unclean animals that he was commanded to eat. (Revelation specific to Peter regarding the duty to preach the gospel to the gentiles.)
  
• Others?
  

Lehi’s Dream
Read the following verses of 1 Nephi 8 and identify the symbols Lehi saw:

1. 2, 10-12 – Tree and fruit that is desirable to make you happy.

2. 13 – River of water.

3. 19-20 – The rod of iron next to a path that leads to the tree.

4. 23 – Mists of darkness

5. 26-27 – Great and spacious building

Revelation to Nephi

After Nephi finishes listening to Lehi’s FHE lesson, he wants to receive this same revelation. Read 1 Nephi 10:17-19.

• Note that Lehi taught by the power of the Holy Ghost.
  
• Nephi specifically wanted to be taught by that same power. See D&C 50:17-22.
  

Note also Nephi’s recognition of time. God answered prayers of people in the past, he will answer prayers in the future, and he does so “in these times.” Nephi was living in the present “these times” just as much as we are. He didn’t live in the past any more than we do. And Nephi’s present wasn’t any easier than ours is, and God was just as anxious to answer the prayers of the faithful in Nephi’s present as He is in ours.

Tree and fruit

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught that the tree of life is a symbol of Jesus Christ. He said: “The images of Christ and the tree [are] inextricably linked. … At the very outset of the Book of Mormon, … Christ is portrayed as the source of eternal life and joy, the living evidence of divine love, and the means whereby God will fulfill his covenant with the house of Israel and indeed the entire family of man, returning them all to their eternal promises” (Christ and the New Covenant [1997], 160, 162).

How can we more fully recognize God’s love for us?

• Get close to the tree so you can recognize it, enjoy the fragrance and fruit, the shade, and so on.
  
• So how do we do that in practice?
  

What does the fruit represent?

• 1 Nephi 15:36. What is the “greatest of all the gifts of God”? Eternal life! See D&C 14:7.
  
• It is appropriate that eternal life is the fruit or product of God’s love.
  

How do Lehi and Nephi describe the fruit? Precious, sweet, joyous, desirable… pick your superlative!

Rod of iron and strait and narrow path

Nephi sees the iron rod, and describes its twofold purpose:

1. 1 Nephi 11:25 – To the righteous (represented here by Nephi), the word leads to God’s love.
   
2. 1 Nephi 15:23-24 – To the wicked (represented so well by Laman and Lemuel) it offers protection from the temptations and power of the devil.
   

How can we use the scriptures and words of the prophets to better accomplish these two purposes in our lives?

Mist of darkness

Read 1 Nephi 8:23-24. It is not just the wicked who end up in the mists of darkness. Satan’s temptations are simply a part of life; our yielding to them is not. The key to getting through without straying is firmly keeping of and following God’s word.

Filthy water

Read 1 Nephi 15:26-29 - Note that Lehi didn’t realize that this was filthy. He was too concerned with finding his family and sharing with them the joy of the fruit. The river represents two things:

• Wickedness – These are the choices that separate us from God, the tree of life, eternal life, etc.
  
• Hell – This is what we have to cross through to get back to God if we have sinned.
  Note that the rod of iron runs along the bank, in between the path leading to God and the river of filthy water. The word of God protects us from Satan’s temptations and the pains of hell. The key is our keeping the word of God solidly between us and sin.
  

The great and spacious building

Read 1 Nephi 8:26-28; 11:36. Lehi again demonstrates his purity in that he didn’t even recognize that others were mocking. This represents the pride of the world, and has no foundation. That seems appropriate; after all, what do we have to be proud of that didn’t come from God in the first place? What should our foundation be?

People in Lehi’s vision
Identify the following four groups shown to Lehi and Nephi:

1. 1 Nephi 8:21–23. (Those who start on the path but then become lost in the mist of darkness.)
   
2. 1 Nephi 8:24–28. (Those who hold to the rod of iron until they reach the tree and partake of the fruit, but then become ashamed and fall away.)
   
3. 1 Nephi 8:30. (Those who hold to the rod of iron until they reach the tree and partake of the fruit, and who then remain faithful.)
   
4. 1 Nephi 8:31–33. (Those who never start on the path but instead go directly toward the great and spacious building.)
   

How do we strengthen our commitment to be in the faithful group that never strays? How can we help others become stronger? What can you do today?

Personal question – Which group are you in? How committed to that group are you? How do the answers to those questions make you feel?

Conclusion

Nephi points out the “Four C’s” that are key to our obtaining the precious fruit we all want:

1. Commence (1 Nephi 8:22)
   
2. Catch hold (1 Nephi 8:24)
   
3. Cling (1 Nephi 8:24)
   
4. Continually (1 Nephi 8:30