The first incident I learned is in v3 where Lehi says, "I have reason to suppose that they, and also many of their seed, will be safe," I suppose that this means this revelation is not just for his immediate family but also for generations to come. He is the prophet at this time and it is exactly the prophet's job to receive revelation for the future.
My second insight was about the first part of the vision where Lehi starts to follow a man into a dark and dreary waste and traveled. After many hours in darkness he asked the Lord to have mercy on him, and the Lord answers by showing him a large and spacious field (v5-9). I myself have been lost and traveled in darkness away from the light of the Lord, but as soon as I have the desire for the Lord to help me he answered my prayer. I again suppose that Lehi is referencing the darkness as his time not knowing the gospel but the Lord loved him and show him the light.
Lehi saw the tree of life and went and partook of the fruit which symbolizes the love of God. (1 Nephi 11:22,25).
Lehi then wishes to share this with his family so he looks around to see a river with his family on the opposite side. He beckons them and Sariah, Nephi, and Sam come but Laman and Lemual refuse (v13-18). The river represents the depths of hell (1 Nephi 12:16) that someone could fall into if they don't hold to the rod of iron along a "strait and narrow path, which came along by the rod of iron, even to the tree" near the river. The iron rod is the word of god according to the song or 1 Nephi 11:25. And the straight and narrow path is referred to many times in the scripture but my interpretations according to the footnote in 2 Nephi 31:18, is that although in this vision it leads to the tree, or the love of God, it truly represents the path to follow to eternal life.
The vision goes on to view the people eager to learn the gospel and taste the truth who started the path (v21-22). In v23, the mist of darkness that comes to confuse those who are desirous to partake of the fruit represents the temptations of the devil (1 Nephi 12:17).
I don't know why the people who tasted of the fruit were ashamed (v25) but it's a true symbolism of what can happen to the members of the church who know of God's love and look at the large and spacious building (v26-27), which represents pride and worldly vanity (1 Nephi 12:18), and fall away (v28).
So far the two types of people are generalized into those wanting the fruit and those who are not even interested in starting their journey to the tree of life (in the building mocking). Within the first group there are those that lost their way to the goal and those that achieved their goal but were ashamed and fell away. Then it talks about other multitudes (v30) and we find out in v33 that they did not heed the mockings but stayed strong. Lastly, the other multitudes talked about in v31 were just all together lost, they didn't know the truth but they were also not a part of the mocking. I suppose them to be a majority of people from the dark ages when the gospel was not on the Earth.
The chapter ends with a warning again about Laman and Lemual. Lehi "did exhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent" which I personally believed is not the proper patently style for these boys. Many times they have been chastened and visited by angels because of their....mistakes, but they still didn't listen. Maybe the need a little sterner approach!
Either way, I still gained about 4 new insights total to this vision :) thanks for reading!
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