Bruce C. Hafen
“The inevitability of belonging either to Satan or to Christ is graphically portrayed by the scriptural imagery of that most human expression of belonging—to be embraced, or as the scriptures say, ’to be encircled about.’ Those who follow Christ until they are accepted into his covenants of true belonging will one day be, as was Father Lehi, ’encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.’ (2 Nephi 1:15.) That is why Mormon lamented in his ’sorrow for the destruction of [his] people’: ’They will sorrow that this people had not repented that they might have been clasped in the arms of Jesus.’ (Mormon 5:11.) Mormon’s sorrow was not just that his unrepentant people would be left unattended to continue wandering as they desired; rather, Mormon knew, as Alma explained, that ’this was a snare of the adversary, which he has laid to catch this people, that he might bring you into subjection unto him, that he might encircle you about with his chains.’ (Alma 12:6; emphasis added.)” (A Belonging Heart, p. 141)