The Apple of God’s Eye

“Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings, From the wicked who oppress me, From my deadly enemies who surround me.” – Psalm 17:8-9 (NKJV). “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry.” –Psalm 34:15 (NKJV). “Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, ‘Have I also here seen Him who sees me?’”-Genesis 16:13 (NKJV). “But the very hairs of your head are numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” –Matthew 10:30-31 (NKJV).

“The apple of God’s eye”—what a tremendous concept to grasp! The “apple of His eye”—one of God’s names for us, his children. The apple of the eye is the pupil, without which one cannot see. I’m sure you’ve visited your optometrist or ophthalmologist and had your pupils dilated. You know how difficult it is to see for a while; the ground seems to come up to meet you as you walk. The pupil of the eye is vulnerable and is protected by eyelids that close, tears that wash out damaging foreign matter. Being “the apple of God’s eye” means that He cares for and protects us. Another idea inherent in being the apple of God’s eye is that we are reflectd in His pupil. When He looks upon us and we look upon Him, we can see ourselves reflected back from His very eyes. “The eyes of hte Lord are on the righteous; His ears are open to their cry.” We are not alone. We are in God’s vision, under His watchful care. Morever, He hears us when we call upon Him, and hides us under His sheltering wings. How wonderfully comforting and caring is He to us!

The verse from Genesis 16:13 is a cry from Hagar who was with child by Abraham. She was fleeing from Sarai who had decided, even after her own childlessness at the time had caused her to tell her husband to get a child with her handmaiden, wanted Hagar out of her household. Hagar was at fault, too, for she had despised Sarai. Before Hagar fled, there wasn’t peace and harmony in Abraham’s house. Despondent and alone in the desert, Hagar had an angel from the Lord appear to her. The angel told her to return to Abraham’s household and be submissive to Sarai. He also told Hagar her son was to be named Ishmael (meaning “the Lord has heard your affliction”) and that his descendants would be a multitude in number. It was then that Hagar had a revelation: “You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees!” Even though Hagar was in the desert, abject and near hopeless, pregnant with Abraham’s child, God found her. She was, despite the circumstances, “the apple of God’s eye,” one with a purpose and a future. She returned to Abraham and Sarai’s household with a changed attitude because she had encountered the Lord.

Jesus told of each person’s importance to God with a different emphasis: "the very hairs of your head are numbered.” Is it not amazing to think that God knows the number of hairs on our head? Why should this be important to Him? Because He is concerned about every aspect of our being. Most people value their hair, its appearance, the abundance (or lack) of it; it is often referred to as one’s “crowning glory.” From this mention of a part of our anatomy, and God’s caring, even about it, we can begin to encompass just how broad His love for us really is. Jesus finishes the analogy by stating that we are much more valuable than many sparrows. These little birds common in Galilee, were often caught and sold on strings for a farthing. Sparrows were considered ceremonially clean by the Jews and often were eaten by the poor. Even though these little birds had their worth, there was no comparison between their value and how God valued human beings. We are “the apple of God’s eye,” valuable and beloved in His sight, worthy of His notice. God sees us and each is important in His eyes! Let us rejoice!