For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.” — Zechariah 2:8 (God speaking to Israel through the prophet Zechariah)
“Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings.” — Psalm 17:8 (A prayer of David)
What is the “apple” of God’s eye? Literally, the word in Hebrew, the original language of the Old Testament, is one phrase, “the pupil of the eye.” Now if you could look closely into the pupil of someone’s eye, you would see a reflection of what they’re looking at. If they are looking at you at the time, you would see yourself. If they are looking at something else, that’s what you would see.
When God says we are “the apple of His eye,” He is telling us that we never are out of His sight and whoever “touches” (to lay a hand upon someone to do evil) His people, touches the pupil of His eye. It’s like God saying, “You mess with my people and I’m going to mess with you.” What a beautiful and comforting word picture of how much God loves and watches over His children.
Now how about we apply that same principle to what we look at? What is our main focus in this life? Is it Jesus? Is He the apple of our eye? Is He the one we look to for our help and guidance or is it someone or something else? See Hebrews 12:2.
My wife and I try to walk every morning. We have a nice path that we use that has a beautiful view of the mountains on one side and a panoramic view of our city on the other. One day, she got distracted when I pointed out something in the distance and as a result she stepped off the trail just enough to cause her to fall and twist her ankle. It took a couple of weeks for her to recover.
This past week, as we were walking along that same trail, we recalled that incident and she thoughtfully remarked, “That’s what happens when we take our eyes off of Jesus, isn’t it? How quickly we can get off the path and hurt ourselves.”
That insight reminded us of the wonderful old classic hymn of the church, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,” that we sang it all the way home. It is such a poignant reminder of the beauty and intensity of God’s love for us. He never takes his eye off of us. Why? Because we are the apple of His eye!
Before you go, listen to Alan Jackson as he sings that beautiful hymn. It’ll make your day. Just click on the graphic below. Maranatha!
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