Text: Psalm 17:8-15
Focus Verse: “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.” (Verse 8)
The phrase “apple of my eye” commonly refers to someone or something that one cherishes above all else. The phrase is used three times in the Old Testament, in Deuteronomy, Psalms, and Zechariah, to refer to what God cherishes above all else. In each case, the apple of God’s eye is His people. Yes, people—not one single person, but all His people. In Psalm 17:8, David asks God to keep him as the apple of His eye—but what of all the others who are also loved and cherished by God? It is clear that God has room for each of His creations to be the most precious, most beloved in His sight.
And what does He do for those who are the apple of his eye? He keeps watch over them and protects them. David says that God “fills their womb with treasure; they are satisfied with children.” God’s treasure, the apple of His eye, He places in the womb where mother and father can guard and protect and fully enjoy the gift they have been given to care for. God’s gift, His creation, is given to us to care for and to protect. It is the responsibility of each of us to take the task He has given to us with utmost seriousness, but also to remember that He is the One in whose steadfast love and outstretched wings we seek refuge when we fall short of what He has called us to do.
Let us pray: Dearest Lord, You see in us what we cannot see in ourselves and refuse to see in those around us. Remind us today that we are the apples of Your eye and that You entrust us to care for each of Your precious creations. Amen.
(Paul W. Marks, Sem II)