16 And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the fountain of filthy water which thy father saw; yea, even the river of which he spake; and the depths thereof are the depths of hell.
It almost seems an irony to me (and most likely unrelated) that this river of filthy water brings spiritual death, while the Savior offers spiritual life through the living water He offers. As I ponder this image of filthy water, I am reminded of a few instances when water was an obstacle in the scriptures. Moses was able to divide the Red Sea through the power of God and His priesthood. This allowed the children of Israel to pass through the midst without being touched by it. Joshua did the same thing with the Jordan River, allowing them to cross on dry ground. There’s nothing to indicate that these waters were filthy, but they were obstacles to reaching the Promised Land, so they make a pretty good parallel. The Savior walked on water, overcoming the obstacle to His destination by staying above it (or putting it beneath Him), and Peter was able to do the same thing as long as he kept his eyes on the Lord. In each of these examples the water obstacle was overcome by relying on the Lord. This dream of Lehi’s is not really all that different. We stay out of the river of filthy water by holding to the rod of Iron, or relying on the word of God.
- 1 Nephi 15:27 (26–29)
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