Lehi's Obedience

2 And it came to pass that the Lord commanded my father, even in a dream, that he should take his family and depart into the wilderness.

3 And it came to pass that he was obedient unto the word of the Lord, wherefore he did as the Lord commanded him.

4 And it came to pass that he departed into the wilderness. And he left his house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, and took nothing with him, save it were his family, and provisions, and tents, and departed into the wilderness. (1 Nephi 2: 2-4)

In verse 2, we learn from Nephi that Lehi had a dream with some very definite instructions. These were rash actions for one to take. To uproot one's family, abandoning the family's possessions and wandering out into the wilderness. This was not a decision to take lightly.

Now, the next verse is more than a simple commentary on Lehi's obedience. Look closer. The direction given by Lehi's dream is extreme. Lehi would be foolish to do such a thing based upon a dream. Except for the fact, says Nephi, that Lehi recognized the dream as the word of the Lord unto him and his family.

When Nephi says, "And it came to pass that he was obedient unto the word of the Lord," he is not refering to Lehi's response to this dream. It is more than that. Nephi is describing his father's character. Lehi is an obedient man of God. Morevoer, in the same phrase Nephi is also recognizing the dream was more than a dream. The dream conveyed the word of the Lord and Lehi knew it.

Then the next phrase: "Wherefore he did as the Lord commanded him." Now THAT is Nephi's description of the response. In summary, Lehi's response to the dream, says Nephi, flows naturally from two facts: (1) The dream conveyed the word of God and (2) Lehi is an obedient man when it comes to following the word of God.

May we all be as Lehi.