1 Nephi 6-11: I have a dream – like Lehi of old
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Chapter 2: 1 Nephi 6-10
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Behold, I have dreamed a dream; or, in other words, I have seen a vision.
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 [free].
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Lehi’s dream
In this manner did Lehi, the first prophet of the Book of Mormon, commence his speech about a very special dream, known to Mormons as Lehi’s dream – a dream that sets the frame for the rest of the Book. Lehi had fled the city of Jerusalem with his family, leaving everything behind because of a promise from God that they would be led to a better place, to a land of promise. Lehi was facing persecution in Jerusalem, and because of his beliefs and his prophetic witness against the people, his life was under threat.
And when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned, and slain; and they also sought his life, that they might take it away. But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.
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1963 is not an end
Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speech “I have a dream” is not only the vision and promise of a brighter future – of a better America – it is also the prophetic denunciation of the injustices that befell the African-American population of the United States for many generations. The story of their people is not the story of Lehi and of his family who had fled persecution to seek a safer and better society in which to live, persecution and oppression is what led the African-American people to the “promised land” and slavery and later segregation became their lot. Mariasusai explains that, “the proclamation of God’s Kingdom necessarily demands the prophetic denunciation of all that is incompatible with it. Among the evils we deplore are destructive violence, including institutionalized violence, political corruption, and all forms of exploitation of people and of the earth [...]“.
Martin Luther King’s dream and vision was that the gathering of people on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 would only mark the beginning of a long journey towards freedom and justice.
Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
Herein is found a lot of the symbolism that Lehi spoke of in his dream. All peoples, all of God’s children, always stand at the beginning of a long journey towards a land of promise – a brighter and better future. It is not an easy journey and yet it is a rewarding journey – but we all have to start in the real world – in the here and now.
And I saw numberless concourses of people, many of whom were pressing forward, that they might obtain the path which led unto the tree by which I stood. And it came to pass that they did come forth, and commence in the path which led to the tree.
And it came to pass that there arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were lost. And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree.
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pressing forward
Martin Luther King speaks of a similar struggle as people had been pressing forward against all odds for their rights and their freedom :
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest — quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Unearned suffering is redemptive. For some, the trials and tribulations of participating in the civil rights movement was too much asked. Many were afraid. Many were left to feel unequal, undeserving of their rightful place in society – and also in the LDS church were people of color denied the same blessings as those who were white, “and many were they who pointed fingers of scorn” at those who believed that there was a better way – and that the way to achieve justice was by acting as God did, when he became flesh. For “God prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men”.
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So clinging unto the rod of iron – or pressing forward in Christ – is ultimately, as Nephi explains later in chapter 15, “to hearken unto the word of God, and that whoso would hold fast unto it – remembering to always keep the commandments of Christ in all things – would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction”. Pressing forward is not sufficient. The way by which we are pressing forward is equally important:
In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
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I’ll cross the stream, I have a dream
Nephi explains also in chapter 15 the meaning of the water that separated the wicked from the tree of life – that cup of bitterness and hatred that Martin Luther King refers to – “the water which my father saw was filthiness. And I said unto them that it was an awful gulf, which separated the wicked from the tree of life, and also from the saints of God”: bitterness and hatred keep many of God’s children from knowing true peace, true happiness and love.
“And it came to pass that many were drowned in the depths of the fountain; and many were lost from his view, wandering in strange roads. And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building. And after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of scorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also; but we heeded them not”.
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a quest for truth – a labor of love
Like Lehi, Martin Luther King believed that the struggle towards the tree of life, is ultimately a quest for more truth and knowledge, for greater justice and equality because to “know the truth and to hold onto it (that is the word of God) leads out of captivity – segregation – oppression – and slavery. “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free”. Freedom (from spiritual and temporal prisons – or immortality) and the love of God to all of his children (eternal life) is one way of explaining what it means to partake of the fruit of the tree of life! Martin Luther King said it this way:
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
Like Father Lehi of old, I have a dream today.
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