10 And he also saw atwelve others following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament.
This verse has always prompted a question in my mind. I wonder if in vision what Lehi saw was the office or calling of the Apostleship or did he see the actual 12 called by the Savior. The reason for this thought goes to the Apostle Judas Iscariot. With Gods forknowledge of all things would he show this man, placing him in a position of honor?
There have been many 12 since the time of Jesus first Apostles. Are they not just as honored as the rest? We honor them for their lives of service, but mostly we honor them in their calling as special witnesses of Jesus.
Lehi’s description of this “brightness” is a bit quizzical, leaving me wondering why the choice of stars as the metaphor or description. Could it be that he was referring to the contrast between a bright star and the background of blackness. Recent Hubble deep space pictures show us that even the darkest spot in the heavens that we see actually are filled with the light of more distant stars and galaxies. Or, is it that Lehi understood that stars really are very bright and that our sun is not one of the brightest.
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