Thursday, April 24, 2008
The Apple of His Eye
Nestled between Boston and Springfield, on the Southern border of Massachusetts, is the quaint, New England town of Southbridge. Because for many years American Optical (once the largest company of its kind) based its operations out of Southbridge, the town earned the nickname: “The Eye of the Commonweath.” American Optical has since taken its business elsewhere, but Southbridge has continued to make history in the area of optics – fiber optics. There are several fiber optic companies in town. Some have dubbed Southbridge the birthplace of fiber optics. But the nickname, “eye of the common wealth,” still stands.
Southbridge’s nickname reminds me of another -- God’s nickname for His people. Several times in Scripture those who believed in God as “the one and only God” were referred to as “The Apple of His Eye.” One psalmist prayed, “Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,” (Psalms 17:8) This endearing term made reference to the most important and most carefully guarded portion of the eye – the pupil.
God watches over his own as carefully as a person guards his very eyesight. Like a mother hen or a she-bear protects her young, God protects those who put their trust in Him. The Living Bible says it like this: "The Lord of Glory has sent me against the nations that oppressed you, for he who harms you sticks his finger in Jehovah's eye! I will smash them with my fist and their slaves will be their rulers! Then you will know it was the Lord Almighty who sent me.” (Zechariah 2:8-9) Throughout history God’s careful watch over His own was demonstrated:
- He took care of the Israelites in the wilderness
- He saved David from Giolath
- He saved Daniel from the lions
- He saved Jesus from the sword of Herod.
That is just a sampling of the many historically-proven Bible stories which illustrate His protective care.
Secular history, as well as other portions of Scripture, help us understand that even though God protects his own, He does not completely shield them from hurt and pain. Rather, ultimately, God keeps score. Sometimes He evens the score in “time”; other scores will be settled in “eternity.” The beauty of this truth is that those of us who trust Him can relax. Vengeance belongs to God, (Romans 12:19) so His children are free to let go of the offenses that people and life bring our way. People may mistreat us, but God will not fail us.
It is impossible to fathom just how much He loves His own! The Good News is that if you can truly believe in Jesus Christ and follow His plan for living, you will free Him to guard you like you were his very own eyesight. No one could be safer than the apple of His eye.
If you are wondering how God’s protection plays out in real life, there’s a great historical account of that in the Bible. The book of Acts tells the story of the disciples and other first-century Christians who put their trust in Christ. Their faith led them to repentance, baptism and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. They encountered life’s challenges knowing that God was on their side. Great miracles took place on their behalf. They became known as Christians.
We live in troubled times. The world economy is uncertain, world governments and world religions are volatile. How comforting it is to have the Creator of the universe watching over you in times like these. I am wondering if there might be some folks who live in the “eye of the commonwealth” who would be interested in trusting God more completely so they can be “the apple of His eye.”
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