The Apple of His Eye

“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

The phrase, the apple of his eye, refers in general to something cherished that must be protected, and it specifically referred to the pupil of the eye. Though God had punished His people, He was making it clear through the prophet Zechariah that He still loved them. God had promised Abraham that He would bless all the nations of the world through his descendants. God’s purpose was to use Abraham’s family to bring the Messiah into the world and to create a series of fulfilled prophesies that would effectively prove that Christ was truly the Son of God. Down through the centuries, there were a number of times that the people of God were nearly annihilated. Abraham and Sarah nearly gave up hope that the son God had promised to them would ever be born. Many years later down in Egypt, Pharaoh ordered that all of the boy babies be killed in an effort to weaken the nation of Israel. At the close of the monarchy, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, killed many of the people and took many others into captivity. Wicked Haman persuaded Ahasuerus to sign a law allowing all of the Jews in his kingdom to be killed and their property confiscated. Each time, God preserved His people. His plan had not been completed, and He was watching them and guarding them closely. God loved the whole world enough to send His Son to die for us, and thus He cherishes those who trust Christ as the apple of His eye.