To Lemuel—who unfortunately offered little resistance to the whims of his older brother—Lehi gave similar counsel: “Even as men treasure this valley as a place of refuge and life and refreshment, so may you find the same through firmly and steadfastly keeping the commandments of God.” Such parallels, like parables, fall too often upon deaf ears and do not find place in the hearts of the hardened (cf. Matthew 13:13).
So it was with Laman and Lemuel. Regardless of the beauty or power of the preachment, the receiver must be open to the feelings and impressions associated with the presentation of the sacred word; otherwise, the seed is as though it were strewn on stony places. Those whose hearts are set upon the things of this world (e.g., “their gold, and their silver, and their precious things”) are prone to murmur against the Lord’s anointed as “dreamers” or “visionary men.” Being themselves barren trees, they deny the fruits of the Spirit to others.