Deuteronomy 32:9-10 NASB
[9] “For the LORD’S portion is His people; Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance. [10] “ He found him in a desert land, And in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye. …
Zechariah 2:8 NASB
[8] For thus says the LORD of hosts, “After glory He has sent me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.
Psalm 17:8 NASB
[8] Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Your wings
I wanted to list these three scriptures because they are the three that speak of us as the apple of God’s eye. One idea here is that if you look at an apple tree or at a basket of apples and chose one that you feel is the best, it then becomes your favorite and you are fixated on it. Those are great thoughts, but in the Hebrew the phrase “The apple of His eye” has a much more personal meaning. That particular phrase literally means “the little maiden of His pupil.” The idea is this; a man has found the love of his life, and he is so fixated with her that his eyes are always staring at her deeply, so if you were to look into his eyes, her reflection would be in his pupil. This is how much He loves us.
This is not a passive love or a benevolent love; it is a passionate and fiercely infatuated love. That’s hard for us to imagine because we know our flaws and our sometimes horrible imperfections, yet that is how God feels about us. It has absolutely nothing to do with our performance, but only with His choosing. When the one who “is love” sets His Love on someone, it is a vehement flame that nothing can quench.
In Song of Solomon 4:7, God says this about us, “You are altogether beautiful my love, and there no spot or blemish in you.” Ephesians says that even when we were in our lost condition He stepped in and rescued us because He is rich in mercy, and He is rich in mercy because of the great love with which He has loved us. He loved us like that before we had ever done one thing to earn His love or to prove ourselves to Him. Do you think now that you are the bride of Christ that He loves you any less? You are the little maiden in His pupil. He is fixated on you and always will be. He never abandons us because His love will not allow Him to. It’s very comforting to me to know that if I could look into God’s eyes every minute of every day, I would see my reflection because I am His favorite, and always will be. That is your truth also.