“For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.” (Zechariah 2:8)
This phrase used to be used a lot when I was growing up. A grandmother usually would say it to her beloved grandchild or a lover to their beloved. It was a very special thing to know you were the apple of someone’s eye, yet I never truly understood what it meant.
In a literal interpretation, God is telling His people that anyone who touches them to afflict them, torment them, or cause them harm in any way, well it’s the same as if they poked Him in the eye. The apple of the eye is the pupil – the centermost part of the eyeball, the most sensitive to any outsight interference. Let’s dig a little deeper.
All through scripture we read that God’s eye is upon us. As I mentioned a long time ago, I was always threatened with that by my mother. She would say, “I may not see everything you do, but God does – and He will get you for it.” So I grew up with the idea that God saw everything I did – whether in the light of day or the darkest night. He is able to see all.
While that is true, she told me only part of the truth. Sure God sees all, but not just the negative. He sees those secret good behaviors we perform as well. He sees the tears we cry over a child who has wandered off the path. He sees the pain we feel at the wrongs done to us and hears our cries for help. He sees the acts of mercy we do for others – often without their knowledge, and keeps a record of those things as well.
For example, I will never forget the time my wife and I knew of a person in our church who was struggling financially. She was a single mom, working full-time, who was trying to raise three children on her own. We heard her request prayer in church and wanted to do something to help her. At the time she was driving an older vehicle that seemed to need a lot of repairs, yet was responsible for driving in to the city from several miles out of town for work, school events, church, etc. She was a responsible person, never spending her money foolishly – it’s just that she couldn’t get a leg up. So we secretly talked it over agreed to secretly give her some money. I quietly got up, put some money (I think it was $50) into an envelope, acted like I was going to the restroom, slipped out to the parking lot, and slid it through her open window onto the car seat. The following week she drove up in a new(-er) car, gave a praise report of how God had blessed her the past week, and told about how much her faith in God had been restored. We would often purchase groceries for people and clandestinely deliver them to their homes. I have always loved doing things like that. Secretly. Discreetly. Humbly – not wanting recognition or reward. It made me feel like I was doing something for a brother or sister.
To have your eye on something means it is the center of your attention. You aren’t watching something else but seeing it in the peripheral vision. Centered. Concentrated. Purposeful. That object becomes the apple of your eye.
God is telling His people (and us) that He is watching over each one of us as only He can do. You, my friend, are at the center of His attention. He sees your faithfulness to Him even when others don’t. He sees and feels your pain – even though you put on a happy face to others and act as if nothing is wrong. He takes note of your actions, but He also understands your motives. Man, the Bible tells us, sees on the outside, but God looks upon the heart.
I don’t know what you are facing right now. Maybe you are “up” right now and are able to perform acts of service and good deeds for others. God sees that and keeps record, for when you do good for His children you are actually doing it for Him. He will repay. It could be that you are on the “down” side of life right now – needing help and not knowing how you are going to make it. Perhaps it is even because someone else has you under their boot heels and you can’t seem to break free. God sees that, too, and this word from Him is for you today.
The people to whom God spoke these words had been in bondage and subjection to overlords or masters because of their own disobedience in the past. But they cried out to God and He heard them. He promised them – just like He is promising you today – that, because they repented and cried out to Him, He would now fly to their rescue and turn the tide in their favor.
Meditate upon this simple truth today: as a son or daughter of God, you are at the very center of His attention. He is looking, watching desparately to find you doing His will, to find you being obedient even in the small things. His eye roams the earth seeking those for whom He can show Himself mighty on their behalf. Be that one. Let Him find you, cry out to Him, let Him see your heart of worship and thanksgiving. Receive His favor.
Be blessed.
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