We sang that song about the iron rod at church on Sunday.  “The iron rod is the word of God!  Twill safely guide us through.”

But there are actually two different symbols for the word of God in Lehi’s dream.

The obvious symbol is the iron rod, claro.

Lehi:

And I beheld a rod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood.

Nephi:

And they said unto me: What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree?

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

There is also something like a chasm.  In the terrible mists of darkness, some who wander fall into it and are lost.  It divides the tree from the building.  Here is Nephi again, 1 Ne. 12:18:

And the large and spacious building, which thy father saw, is vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men. And a great and a terrible gulf divideth them; yea, even the word of the justice of the Eternal God, and the Messiah who is the Lamb of God, of whom the Holy Ghost beareth record, from the beginning of the world until this time, and from this time henceforth and forever.

We talked about these two symbols.  Seems significant that the word of God is both a safety net and a danger.  We talked about direction.  Maybe it makes sense that for those who are trying to find God, his Word is a comfort and a guide.  Whereas for those who are trying to shun Him, his word is dangerous.

Maybe also it is significant that the word of God that is a chasm is described as the word of the justice of God.  Maybe the iron rod is the word of the repentance and mercy of God–but it is only available to those who will grab it.  Whereas his word of justice is for all.

The lovely one said in a way it reminds her of some of the strange juxtapositions of scriptures.  Satan is a devouring lion, but Christ is also the lion of Judah.  Satan is the old serpent, but Moses also raised up the brass serpent as a symbol of Christ.