6

Come unto Me

And it came to pass that I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit. And it came to pass that they did come unto me and partake of the fruit also.
—1 Nephi 8:15–16

Thoughts, Insights, and Observations

Notice that Lehi said “come unto me” when he called to his family. We recognize this phrase as one the Savior often used, and the same invitation is repeated by many prophets throughout the scriptures. Interestingly, it is often an invitation to eat. Alma invited, “Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink of the bread and the waters of life freely” (Alma 5:34; emphasis added). Jacob the brother of Nephi declared, “come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness” (2 Nephi 9:51; emphasis added). Once again, the Lord invited “Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price” (2 Nephi 26:25; emphasis added).

Along these same lines, have you ever noticed that the Lord never tells anyone to “Go away”? The Lord always invites. To the righteous Nephites and Lamanites he said, “And ye see that I have commanded that none of you should go away, but rather have commanded that ye should come unto me, that ye might feel and see” (3 Nephi 18:25; emphasis added). No one is on a “go away” list. Nephi observed, “He inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile” (2 Nephi 26:33; emphasis added).

The opportunity to partake of the tree of life is available to anyone and everyone, if they will only come.

And it came to pass that I was desirous that Laman and Lemuel should come and partake of the fruit also; wherefore, I cast mine eyes towards the head of the river, that perhaps I might see them. And it came to pass that I saw them, but they would not come unto me and partake of the fruit. (1 Nephi 8:17–18)

Part of Lehi’s family was enjoying the fruit, but Lehi wanted all of his family to receive the blessings offered at the tree of life. He saw Laman and Lemuel, and evidently they saw him too—but they would not come. This must have been a painful moment for Lehi, a moment to which many modern parents may also relate. This is the moment that caused Lehi to want to share the dream with his family in the first place. Recall that Lehi’s retelling of the vision began with this sentence: “But behold, Laman and Lemuel, I fear exceedingly because of you; for behold, methought I saw in my dream, a dark and dreary wilderness . . .” (1 Nephi 8:4).

There is a monumental difference between “could not come” and “would not come.” There was no obstacle in the way, no barrier preventing Laman and Lemuel from making their way toward Lehi and the tree, except their own agency. They would not come. Agency is painful. Some choose not to come, some choose not to hear, and some choose not to see.

Jacob may have remembered his older brothers when he taught the people of Nephi: “Wo unto the deaf that will not hear; for they shall perish. Wo unto the blind that will not see; for they shall perish also (2 Nephi 9:31–32; emphasis added).

After Lehi partook of the fruit, which Nephi later tells us represents the love of God (1 Nephi 11:22), Lehi’s thoughts went to his family—but they didn’t stop there. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “A man filled with the love of God is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race” (History of the Church, 4:227).

A textbook example of effect of the love of God on one’s heart can be found in the story of Lehi’s grandson, Enos. Enos went out to hunt, and, as he reflected on his father Jacob’s teachings, he pondered the state of his own soul. He eventually lost all interest in hunting, and instead spent the day in fervent prayer. First he prayed for himself, and once the Lord assured him concerning the welfare of his soul, he “began to feel a desire for the welfare of [his] brethren, the Nephites” (Enos 1:9). Following the Lord’s answer concerning the Nephites, he prayed with “many long strugglings” for the Lamanites (Enos 1:11). Once the Lord assured him concerning the Lamanites, he prayed for the safety of the many records they had been keeping, and that they might be preserved for the benefit of Lamanites in the future. Enos could have stopped praying once he received an answer concerning his own soul, but the “love of God” in his heart wouldn’t let him. It “rang[ed] through the whole world” (History of the Church, 4:227).

Applying the Dream to Our Reality

What happens when we come across something absolutely wonderful? Our first impulse is to share. How many times have you heard yourself say, “Oh, you have got to try this,” or, “You have to hear this song,” or, “I have a book you’ve got to read!” We love to share our joy with others, and Lehi was no different. Lehi’s immediate reaction after tasting the fruit was, “Where is my family?” Sariah, Sam, and Nephi accepted Lehi’s invitation, but Laman and Lemuel did not. But would any of us believe that Lehi regretted offering to others what he had found? Not for a moment. Similarly, our regrets will likely be that we didn’t share enough, not that we shared too often.

After blessing our family, the love of God moves us into even broader circles. There are many different motives for doing missionary work, but perhaps Alma the Younger’s is the best and highest. Although he’s expressing his views hundreds of years after Lehi’s dream, he uses the tree-of-life metaphor to express his desire to share the gospel—not to feel what he has felt, but to taste what he had tasted: “Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost” (Alma 36:24).