15 But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.
The image of being “encircled about eternally in the arms of
[the Lord’s] love” is comforting on a couple of levels. First, it just feels
good to get a hug. And to get that expression of love from the Savior must be
amazing. The other thing being encircled about does is protect. It’s a
protection against the demands or punishments of justice, which must be
satisfied. This is the sense of being encircled about eternally in the Lord’s
arms that Lehi refers to here. It takes faith and obedience to the Lord’s
commandments, but the result or reward of that is the Atonement. God loves all
His children, even those who are disobedient, which is why he extends the offer
of the Atonement to all his children equally. All have an equal chance to
partake, but only those who actually do accept the Atonement are “encircled
about eternally in the arms of his love.” Only those who accept the Atonement
and repent receive the benefit of the protection afforded by those arms of the
Lord’s love. The others must face the demands of justice on their own, as
described in D&C 19: 16–19. Lehi’s faith in the Lord and His Atonement,
coupled with his obedience to the Lord’s commandments make this confidence
possible, as expressed so matter-of-factly by Lehi. It’s something we must
strive for throughout our lives.
- Romans 8: 39 (34–39)
- Jacob 6: 5
- Alma 5: 33
- Alma 34: 16 (15–16)
- 3 Nephi 9: 14
- Ether 12: 6 (6–18)
- D&C 6: 20
