The Rod of Iron

The “rod of iron” as depicted in Lehi’s dream is defined by Nephi in 1 Nephi 11:25: “I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God…”

The word of God! The word that our missionaries, more than 50,000 strong, carry to the ends of the earth is the word of God! The word of God that we carry to our friends and neighbors is the same word that Nephi defined for us. It is the same word that the Savior commanded the Elders of the Church to teach “unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people” (D&C 42:58).

If the word of God is the “rod of iron,” then carrying the metaphor a little further, the good people of the Church are the “ore” from which the iron for the rod is smelted. They are purified by the refiner’s fire and are cast into the rod because they carry the word of God with them in their hearts and in their example to others. They offer the gospel to others as a means to reach the tree of life – the love of God.

We all hold to the rod as well as being part of the rod, and in fact, we are often guided and helped by stalwarts in the Church who (metaphorically) are cast into the rod. We witnessed some of those as they spoke to us in General Conference. Their words and examples help us to cling to the rod and to move along the path.

We see a strengthening of the rod every time a convert accepts the gospel. The rod, in many ways, is a metaphor for those who are adopted into the house of Israel when they become members of the Church. As they are baptized and receive the Holy Ghost, they become part of the great army of all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people who have received the gospel and desire to share it with others.

So we might say that any person who carries the word of God to those in need of it is “cast” into the rod of iron. They provide strength and help to those who would tread the narrow path to the tree of life, even as they themselves hold to the rod and seek the fruit.

None of us feels like a rod of iron. We all feel weak and sinful, unsteady and uninformed about the word of God. The Lord knows our weaknesses and our strengths. He will help us overcome our weaknesses and magnify our strengths as we come unto Him and seek to be refined and be part of the rod. He said in Ether 12:27:

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

The lord will prepare us to be part of the rod. President Harold B. Lee, in his wonderful book, Stand Ye in Holy Places, teaches us:

We may take a rod of iron and place it with some filings without apparently causing any change—the rod is not magnetic. But if we wrap that rod with a wire carrying an electric current, it becomes a magnet. Though the rod has not changed in shape and width and length, it has undergone a deep change. It has become changed so that it attracts iron filings or whatever else is subject to magnetic action. Just so, if each of us could wrap ourselves in obedience to God's love and live as we should, a wonderful change would be effected in us…

The more the rod is wrapped with the wire, the more current that is applied to the wire, the stronger the magnet becomes, until such a magnet can lift prodigious weights. As we are wrapped in the Gospel – the word of God – we become stronger; we can solicit, and expect to receive, the guidance of the Holy Ghost. We can help ourselves and others hold to the rod.

The rod of iron is a beautiful concept, a duality. We can be the magnet that helps others to find and hold to the rod, but we often need help ourselves from others who are cast into the rod, both to remain part of the rod and to hold to the rod. To again quote President Lee from his book above:

If there is any one thing most needed in this time of tumult and frustration, when men and women and youth and young adults are desperately seeking for answers to the problems which afflict mankind, it is an "iron rod" as a safe guide along the straight path on the way to eternal life, amidst the strange and devious roadways that would eventually lead to destruction and to the ruin of all that is "virtuous, lovely, or of good report."

Parents, grandparents, peers, leaders, and more importantly, you and I, can be safe guides. There are many ways that we can wrap ourselves in the gospel: General conference, stake conference, sacrament meeting, church classes of all kinds, home and visiting teaching, reading the scriptures, prayer, and so forth. Interestingly, the duality of the rod appears again. When we teach, when we speak in meetings, when we visit and serve, we strengthen ourselves and others. When we listen, accept service from others, read, ponder, and pray, we are strengthened, and can then strengthen others. Quoting from George Q. Cannon’s book, Gospel Truth: Discourses and Writings of President George Q. Cannon:
The rod is not diminished or weakened by our worldliness, lack of commitment, or inadequacies. The rod is the word of God, unchanging, unassailable, unshakable. "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever" (Isaiah 40:8). We can add our strength to the rod or we can choose not to do so. The rod remains. It is to our benefit, and often to the benefit of those who are seeking, that we become part of the rod. But either way, the rod is there.

…cling to the "rod of iron," which is the word of God… Let each one say, "I will serve God no matter what happens; … no matter what the consequences may be."

So when our missionaries set out across the world to preach the gospel, they are the rod. They have caused the rod to reach out to the uttermost parts of the world. Still, there are places and people that the rod does not yet reach. In the Lord’s due time, they too will be given the opportunity to grasp and hold. Barriers will fall. Doors will be opened. Hearts will be softened. The word of God will be carried to “all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people” (D&C 42:58).

There are many who remain untaught and uninspired, perhaps in your own neighborhood. Reach out to them, gently and lovingly. Be the magnet that draws them to the rod. Help them to hold on. Help them (and yourself in the process) to reach the tree of life that Lehi described – the tree that bears the beautiful fruit of the love of God. The great blessing of the rod of iron is described by Nephi to his brothers in 1Nephi 15:24:

And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.

Cast yourself into the rod. Wrap yourself in the gospel so that you can be the magnet. Let others help you to hold to the rod. As you do so, be assured of the great blessing that Nephi promised.