“In a desert land he found him, in a
barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him;
he guarded him as the apple of his eye…”
Deuteronomy 32:10
The phrase ‘the apple of my eye’ dates back
pre-Shakespeare to as early as AD885. It’s a phrase used to refer to someone or
something that is cherished above all else and it appears a handful of times in
Scripture.
Its use in the Bible comes from the Hebrew, ‘the
little man of the eye’. Looking into someone’s eye you see your reflection
shining back – you are the ‘little man’ in their eye. To see yourself as the
apple of one’s eye means you need to be up close and personal.
Our little girl is four and she often refers to
herself as Daddy’s “apple-eye”. She knows that she is the apple of her Father’s
eye and with this knowledge comes significance, security and a strong sense of
her self-worth. She will bound into our bedroom early in the morning
announcing, “Daddy, Apple-Eye is here…” Our daughter knows that as her Father’s
apple-eye he is always pleased to see her, he delights to know what’s on her
heart and is quick to envelop her close if she has fallen or is sad.
Your eye is also one of the most vulnerable parts
of your body – to protect it you need to blink or turn away from a ball or a
blow (as evidenced in the Australian/England cricket match last night)! So to
be the apple of someone’s eye also means they’re going to protect you in your
vulnerability.
My little girl has confidence to step out and try
new things when her Daddy is near. She knows that her Daddy has got her back and
will shield and care for her, she knows
that he will guard her. Why? She knows she is precious to him. She knows that
in her vulnerability, her Daddy will look after her, and that he is ‘mighty to
save’. She knows she’s his apple-eye.
“Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the
shadow of your wings.”
Psalm 17:8
Psalm 17:8
Did you know that you are the apple of your
Heavenly Father’s eye? You are treasured, valued and prized beyond your
comprehension. Come to the Father this week knowing that Jesus, the crowning
apple of the Father’s eye, took on the greatest vulnerability and received the ultimate
estrangement because you were worth
it.
You, my friend, are God’s apple-eye.
