One of the stories from the Book
of Mormon that seems to have more and more meaning, no matter how many times I
have studied it, is Lehi’s vision of the Tree of Life. In short, Lehi saw a
tree with a rod of iron extending from it and a path underneath the rod of
iron. On one side of the rod of iron was a river and on the other side of the river there
was a huge building. Countless people were in the dream either moving toward
the rod or away from it. Nephi was able to see his father’s dream and was given
the interpretation as well. This dream seems to represent the spiritual journey
that we are each on in this life.
I was intrigued by one verse in
particular; where the angel is explaining to Nephi about the mists of darkness:
“And
the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the
eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away
into broad roads, that they perish and are lost” (1 Nephi 12:17).
This gives three examples of how the adversary uses temptation to lead us away from the
iron rod—the word of God (see 1 Nephi 11:25)—are by: 1) blinding our spiritual
eyes, 2) hardening our hearts, and 3) leading us away into broad roads where we
get lost.
Spiritual Blindness
In reference to blindness, the Bible dictionary states,
“In addition to the healing of physical blindness, the mission of
Jesus included curing blindness to the things of the spirit” (Bible Dictionary:blindness). Isaiah describes spiritual blindness as, “Seeing
many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not”
(Isaiah 42:20). Paul taught about spiritual blindness to the Ephesians
as, “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God
through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness [footnote: GR hardness] of their heart”
(Ephesians 4:18).
Elder Kim B. Clark taught,
“In
His mortal ministry, Jesus worked such mighty miracles of healing and taught
with such authority and power that the scripture says, ‘His fame went
throughout all Syria … and there followed him great multitudes of people.’
“Some who saw Him heal and
heard Him teach rejected Him. Others followed Him for a season but then walked
with Him no more. The Lord Jesus Christ was there
in front of them, but they did not see who He really was. They were blind, and
they chose to turn away….
“However, there were many men
and women, including His faithful Apostles, who centered their lives on Him.
Though they struggled with worldly distractions, with confusion about what He
taught, and even with fear, they believed in Him, loved Him, and followed Him.
“Of them, Jesus said, “Blessed
are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear’” (Kim B. Clark,“Eyes to See and Ears to Hear”, Ensign, November 2015).
Spiritual blindness comes when we choose to ignore the
truths we know—perhaps out of ignorance, or perhaps because we have alienated
ourselves from God. No matter the cause, it seems that we are unable to see
those things that are right before our eyes, because of choices that we have
made.
In Nephi’s vision he was taught about a “great and
abominable church” who’s sole intent was to “blind the eyes and
harden the hearts of the children of men”. This was done by
their “[taking] away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and
most precious” and because of this “an exceedingly great many
do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them” (see 1 Nephi13:26-29).
Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave this insight,
“Book
of Mormon prophecies describe the ‘great and abominable church of all the
earth, whose founder is the devil’. This ‘church’ is prophesied to have
‘dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and
people’. Called ‘most abominable above all other churches,’ this church is also
said to act ‘for the praise of the world’ in bringing ‘the saints of God … down
into captivity’.
“Because no religious denomination—Christian
or non-Christian—has ever had ‘dominion’ over all
nations of the earth or the potential to bring all the saints of God down into ‘captivity,’
this great and abominable church must be something far more pervasive and
widespread than a single ‘church,’ as we understand that term today. It must be
any philosophy or organization that opposes belief in God. And the ‘captivity’
into which this ‘church’ seeks to bring the saints will not be so much physical
confinement as the captivity of false ideas” (Dallin H. Oaks, “Stand AsWitnesses of God”, Ensign, March 2015).
We are surrounded by the ideas and philosophies of the
world. As we hold to the rod of iron we can avoid deception.
Another way the mists of darkness cause spiritual
blindness is by the temptation to “[look] beyond the mark” (Jacob 4:14). I
think that means seeking for things that we can’t understand in this life,
sometimes to the exclusion of all other things. Seeking is necessary in this
life, but there are many things that we won’t have answers for until the next
life. When on our quest for truth, which comes through seeking, it would be
wise to remember the words of President Uchtdorf,
“It’s
natural to have questions—the acorn of honest inquiry has often sprouted and
matured into a great oak of understanding. There are few members of the Church
who, at one time or another, have not wrestled with serious or sensitive
questions. One of the purposes of the Church is to nurture and cultivate the
seed of faith—even in the sometimes sandy soil of doubt and uncertainty. Faith
is to hope for things which are not seen but which are true.
“Therefore, my dear brothers
and sisters—my dear friends—please, first doubt your doubts before you doubt
your faith. We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the
divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ”
(Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Come, Join with Us”, Ensign,November 2013).
To avoid, or withstand, the mists of darkness we must
cling to the rod of iron and not let the questions that we don't have answers
to cloud our vision of what we already know.
Lehi told of “a strait and narrow path, which came
along by the rod of iron” (1 Nephi 8:20). I wonder if this path is made of “a
sure foundation” (Helaman 5:12), a foundation of rock—rather than a dirt path—that
the posts of the rod of iron are deeply embedded into. The iron rod is the word
of God, and Christ is the rock. If we stray from the stone path we are near a
river (a horribly, dangerous, swiftly moving river) that I imagine has
gradually sloping, sandy banks.
I am reminded of the psalm, “Thy word is a lamp
unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalms 119:105). The path is something
solid to guide our steps. However, when the mists of darkness come if we don’t
have hold of the rod, Nephi recorded that those people, “did lose their way,
that they wandered off and were lost” (1 Nephi 8:23) even though they were
initially on the path. It is our grip on the rod that makes the difference when
the mists of darkness come. And they will come.
“Traveling
through mists of darkness is a completely normal part of God’s plan. He allows
us to experience difficulties from time to time so that we can completely
depend on Him and His Son. The key is to cling to the iron rod” (Juventa Vezzani, “Latter-daySaint Voices: Finding My Way through Mists of Darkness”, Ensign, January 2016).
Hardens the Heart
I think a key to understanding how hearts can be
hardened is found in the Book of Hebrews,
“Take heed, brethren, lest
there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living
God.
“But exhort one another
daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the
deceitfulness of sin.
“For we are made partakers
of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end;”
(Hebrews 3:12-14)
I feel that these verses say that we will start to
disbelieve when we distance ourselves from God. We can then become more hardened in our
hearts through continued disbelief or even the deceitfulness of sin, further distancing ourselves from God. We lose our connection
with the Spirit through sin, and no longer have the continual guidance and
direction available through the Holy Ghost.
We, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, “believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is
translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God”
(Articles of Faith 1:8). The Lord has given us His word—an
iron rod—to cling to as a spiritual protection in these last days. President
Ezra Taft Benson shared this promise about the Book of Mormon specifically:
“It is not just that the Book
of Mormon teaches us truth, though it indeed does that. It is not just that the
Book of Mormon bears testimony of Christ, though it indeed does that, too. But
there is something more. There is a power in the book which will begin to flow
into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find
greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception.
You will find the power to stay on the
strait and narrow path” (Ezra Taft Benson, “The Book of Mormon—Keystone of Our Religion”, Ensign, November 1986, emphasis added).
There have been times during my life when I have been closer
to the Lord and other times when I have been father away. How do we
continually stay close to the Lord? I think that President Spencer W. Kimball
gave wise counsel when he said,
“When you look in the
dictionary for the most important word, do you know what it is? It could be
‘remember.’ Because all of [us] have made covenants … our greatest need is to
remember. That is why everyone goes to sacrament meeting every
Sabbath day—to take the sacrament and listen to the priests pray that [we]
‘… may always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given
[us].’… ‘Remember’ is the word” (see Book of Mormon: Gospel Doctrine Teacher's Manual, Lesson 33, "A Sure Foundation").
I also love this insight on the power that comes
through remembering that was shared
about a seminary class,
“’If you remember,’ [the
teacher] said, ‘you won’t forget to pray. You won’t forget to serve or love.
You will
remember to read the scriptures. You will not forget your family and friends.
You will remember to obey the prophet. You’ll keep in your heart the knowledge
that Jesus Christ sacrificed his life for us, and you will love him as he loves
you. You will remember why you came to this earth.
And you will remember you are sons and daughters of God. You can return home to
him if you remember to keep his commandments and live your lives the way he has
asked.’” (Laura Kay Worthington, “What is the Most Important Word?”, New Era, September1992).
Another key about why our hearts may be hardened is found
in 3 Nephi. Nephi recounts,
“[A]nd
the people began to forget those signs and wonders which they had heard, and
began to be less and less astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven,
insomuch that they began to be hard in their hearts, and blind in their minds,
and began to disbelieve all which they had heard and seen—
“Imagining
up some vain thing in their hearts, that it was wrought by men and by the power
of the devil, to lead away and deceive the hearts of the people; and thus did
Satan get possession of the hearts of the people again, insomuch that he did
blind their eyes and lead them away to believe that the doctrine of Christ was
a foolish and a vain thing” (3 Nephi 2:1-2).
The people began
to forget about what they had seen and heard, and began to harden their hearts. They were not remembering. Each week
we are reminded to “always remember Him” (Doctrine & Covenants 20:77, 79)
during the sacrament prayers. This does not mean for those few minutes that
we’re sitting in our seats, but always
in our day-to-day lives. This is a great protection to us, to allow us time to
really remember our Savior, so that we can (hopefully) keep from becoming hard
in our own hearts.
We will be surrounded by mists of darkness at different
times throughout our lives. During these times, if we can remember to grasp the iron rod we can find light, truth, and
direction. Continually holding fast to the rod of iron takes faith, but is
crucial when we are surrounded by these mists and unable to see. Elder David A.
Bednar explains the importance of the day-to-day things that we need to do to be
able to remember.
“In
[1 Nephi 8:30] we read about a third group of people who pressed forward ‘continually
holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook
of the fruit of the tree.’ The key phrase in this verse is continually
holding fast to the rod of iron.
“The third group also pressed
forward with faith and conviction; however, there is no indication that they
wandered off, fell into forbidden paths, or were lost. Perhaps this third group
of people consistently read and studied and searched the
scriptures. Perhaps it was diligence and devotion to a seemingly ‘small and
simple [thing]’ that saved the third group from perishing. Perhaps it was ‘the
knowledge of the Lord’ and ‘the knowledge of the truth’ obtained through
faithful study of the scriptures that yielded the spiritual gift of
humility—such that this group of people ‘fell down and partook of the
fruit of the tree’. Perhaps it was the spiritual nourishment and strength
provided by continually ‘feasting upon the word of Christ’ that enabled this
group to heed not the scorning and mocking of the people in the great and
spacious building. This is the group you and I should strive to join” (David A.Bednar, “Lehi’s Dream: Holding Fast to the Rod”, Ensign, November 2011).
Leadeth them Away into Broad Roads
When I read this sentence I wondered why the adversary
chose to lead people into “broad” roads. Why didn’t he lead them to isolation?
Perhaps it is because when we are alone, and take a moment for some quiet reflection
and contemplation, that we can feel the whisperings of the spirit drawing us
back to the path. I feel that the adversary is aiming for distraction. If he
can put us in a broad road, filled with sights, sounds, and other distractions,
it can put us in an awkward or uncomfortable situation of making ourselves
stand alone, if we choose to be different. He wants to cloud our judgment with
what seems to be a natural desire to want to be included and accepted. There is
strength in numbers, both for good and evil.
I also like this explanation that President Boyd K. Packer
gave:
“This trend to more noise,
more excitement, more contention, less restraint, less dignity, less formality
is not coincidental nor innocent nor harmless.
“The first order issued by a
commander mounting a military invasion is the jamming of the channels of
communication of those he intends to conquer.
“Irreverence suits the
purposes of the adversary by obstructing the delicate channels of revelation in
both mind and spirit” (Boyd K. Packer, “Reverence Invites Revelation”, Ensign,November 1991).
In Luke we read, “Strive to enter in at the
strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be
able” (Luke 13:24). When I read this verse I wondered why would they “not be able” to enter? What would keep them from
being able to enter?
King Benjamin taught about the broad road of sin when
he said, “And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit
sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number
them” (Mosiah 4:29). The road to sin is so incredibly vast that we cannot
fathom it. The road to the Savior, on the other hand, is very narrow. Nephi
taught,
“Wherefore, do the things
which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do;
for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate
by which ye should enter….
“And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal
life;…
“And now, my beloved
brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if
all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it
were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the
merits of him who is mighty to save.
“Wherefore, ye must press
forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope,
and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward,
feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the
Father: Ye shall have eternal life.
“And now, behold, my
beloved brethren, this is the way; and
there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be
saved in the kingdom of God” (2 Nephi 31:17-21).
Once we are in the “broad” roads of life it is easy to stay
there without any effort. But once we enter into the gate that leads to eternal
life, it will take a concerted effort on our part to stay there.
The adversary does not often come out and attack
openly. He uses subtlety, deceit, arrows and fiery darts that can be thrown
from a distance, rather that hand-to-hand combat. He doesn’t attack when we are
strong but waits until we are tired, rundown, and weak.
The mists of darkness are necessary to provide an
opportunity for growth. We can’t fully comprehend something unless we’ve
experienced it. This life gives us that opportunity to learn—to know for
ourselves the good from the evil. In this battle we have our Savior on our
side. The power that comes through the atonement of Jesus Christ can help to
keep us on the strait and narrow path. It is only through Him that we will be
able to stay on the path that leads back to Him.
The key to enduring through the mists of darkness, the
temptations that will come throughout our lives, is the rod of iron.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gives amazing insight into the
power of the word of god.
“The
Savior warned that in the last days even those of the covenant, the very elect,
could be deceived by the enemy of truth. If we think of this as a form of
spiritual destruction, it may cast light on another latter-day prophecy. Think
of the heart as the figurative center of our faith, the poetic location of our
loyalties and our values; then consider Jesus’s declaration that in the last
days ‘men’s hearts [shall fail] them’….
“Brothers and sisters, God
always provides safety for the soul, and with the Book of Mormon, He has again
done that in our time. Remember this declaration by Jesus Himself: ‘Whoso
treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived’—and in the last days neither your
heart nor your faith will fail you” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Safety for the Soul,” Ensign, November 2009).
May we do all that is in our power to keep our grip on
the iron rod.
