There is an old Stevie Wonder song where he sings about someone being the apple of his eye. The descriptive “apple of his eye” is used to denote that person who is most precious to him. The one that he cannot do without. We might consider how we look at God, and whether He is the apple of our eye, but instead let us consider who or what is the apple of God’s eye.
In the book of Zechariah, God was encouraging His people, who had returned from exile and were in the process of rebuilding the temple. As they were building, they were concerned with the lack of walls around the city for protection. To ease their minds, God instructed them through the prophet, “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. For surely I will shake My hand against them, and they shall become spoil for their servants. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me’” (Zechariah 2:8-9 NKJV). God was basically telling them that He would protect them from their enemies, for they are the apple of His eye. This means that God’s people are precious in His sight.
Over 600 years later, God would also give comfort to His people who were suffering under the persecution of the Roman Empire. At that time John wrote the book of Revelation to the church in order to encourage them to hang in there in the face of persecution and death. God was going to deal with the Roman Empire, because when they went after His people, the apple of His eye, they were basically going after Him.
We as God’s people are still precious to Him today. It is you and me as Christians, the members of His church, who are special in His sight. We are the apple of His eye. Thinking about this and thinking about how He has cared for His people and continues to care for His people should give us pause in how we deal with our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Are we treating our Christian family as the apple of God’s eye? In light of the fact that God is greatly displeased when any of His children are mistreated, we should all consider how we are treating one another and realize that all of His children are precious in His sight.
Back in the days of Daniel, when the children of Israel were exiled in Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar decided to have a 90 foot tall golden statue constructed. The king then commanded that at the proper time all were to bow down and worship this golden image. There were those among the exiles, however, who were faithful to God and would not bow down to the image even though the penalty was death in a fiery furnace (Daniel 3:1-12). These three men, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abed-Nego, were not going to violate their worship to the one true God by bowing down and paying homage to the image Nebuchadnezzar created. Did they not know that this would cost them their physical lives?
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