Nephi is conversing with the Spirit of the Lord and inquiring as to the interpretation of the dream Lehi had.
12. And it came to pass that he said unto me: Look! And I looked as if to look upon him, and I saw him not; for he had gone from before my presence.
13. And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, and also other cities. And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white.
14. And it came to pass that I saw the heavens open; and an angel came down and stood before me; and he said unto me: Nephi, what beholdest thou?
15. And I said unto him: A virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins.
It’s interesting to me that the Spirit of the Lord is present just long enough to testify to Nephi of the power of God, and to get him started on his vision, and then leaves, turning the role of guide over to the angel.
16. And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescension of God?
17. And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.
18. And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh.
The role of Mary was very divinely appointed. She was to be the woman who would guide and shape the young Jesus and prepare Him for His ministry. She was special – not just any girl would have done. Because of this, she was chosen far in advance of her birth, and Nephi was shown this chosen girl in vision.
19. And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time the angel spake unto me, saying: Look!
20. And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms.
21. And the angel said unto me: Behold the aLamb of God, yea, even the bSon of the Eternal cFather! Knowest thou the meaning of the dtree which thy father saw?
This verse always fills me with joy. The expression “Lamb of God” is so incredibly sweet, bringing to my mind a beloved, precious, loving Christ. And then, “the Son of the Eternal Father,” followed with an exclamation point. Exclamation points aren’t used with much frequency in the scriptures, and having one here really shows the depth of feeling the angel spoke with, and the angel’s own love of the Savior and of God.
22. And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.
23. And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul.
It’s also interesting to me that instead of simply telling Nephi the meaning of the tree, the angel chose to show it through another symbol, that being of Mary and the infant Jesus. What else could more properly convey the image of love than a mother with her new baby, and especially the Christ-child?
Additionally, as we discussed yesterday, Nephi already sensed that the tree represented something incredibly precious, even though he did not know the interpretation. Now that he knows what the tree means, it is confirmed to him that yes, the love of God is the most precious thing we could ever possess. The amazing thing to me is that all of us already have the love of God. We are His children, and no matter what we do, how badly we sin, how many times we turn our backs on Him, He will always love us.
From today’s reading: What can we do to live our lives in such a way that we feel God’s love on a regular basis?
Related Blogs: