Poking God in the 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.” (Zec 2:8 AV)

We know that Israel and David are the only ones referred directly as the apple of God’s eye.  But that does not mean this truth evades the N.T. saint.  When one studies the phrase, he is amazed at what the apple of the eye is.  In simple terms, the apple of the eye is the pupil.  That gate of the eye by which all information enters.  The part of the eye that focuses.  The gate into the brain.  There is even a greater picture here by the use of the word ‘apple’.  What does the pupil and apple have in common wherein one is used to describe the other.  It has to do with reflection.

An apple, unlike all other fruits, can be polished to a mirror like surface.  No other fruit can be polished to a glass like sheen.  When polished to its best, the apple can be used as a reflective surface.  Because the apple is convex surface, to see a reflection, the object must be perfectly in front of the surface.  In other words, passing a convex mirror from one side to the other side of a surface will only reflect it back when it stops directly in front of it.  If the pupil is the apple, than it can only focus on that which is directly in front.  A miniature of what the pulpit is focused on is reflected back in the surface of the pupil.  A miniature in reflection.

By stating that Israel, David, and by extension the saint, is the apple of God’s eye, then the word of God is telling us that we are the center of God’s focus, attention, desire, and protection.  We are the one whom the LORD is centered upon and by the very truth of this fact, He treasures us.  Thinking of it another way, the prophet says that he that touches the that which God treasures, touches the apple of the eye: those that touch that which God treasures is poking God in the eyeball.  He will not tolerate that for very long!