Battle Lines: The Apple of His Eye
“Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings” (Psalm 17:8).
When David wrote Psalm 17, he was beset by his enemies and slandered as part of the attack. It seemed like the walls were closing in on him. He complained to God, “They have tracked me down, they now surround me, with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground” (verse 11). His innocence does not matter; his foes have cornered him. The game is over.
David’s appeal was to his God who knew the truth. In verse eight he used two striking ways to plead to God.
“Keep me as the apple of Your eye.” Literally, this refers to the pupil of the eye, but the phrase “apple of Your eye,” is so beautiful that almost all Bible translations have left it intact. The phrase today means something cherished above everything else, loved with a special, passionate affection.
It is no surprise that the phrase came to mean this. We instinctively protect our eyes when anything comes near them, not only by blinking but by raising our hands and turning our heads to protect them, often exposing other parts of our body to harm in doing so. Next to the fear of death, losing eyesight is the second greatest health scare. We cherish our eyesight, so we do what we can to protect our eyes.
It is also through our eyes that we gather most of our information, record our most vivid memories, and seek to establish our most meaningful connections with those we love and care about most deeply. The “apple of the eye” is the focal point for where hearts truly meet.
David dares to say to God “keep me as the apple of Your eye.” He knows he occupies this place in God’s care. And if you are in Christ, you do too. He cherishes you in this place of special, passionate affection, a place cherished above all others.
David married this image with a completely different one: “hide me in the shadow of Your wings.” Growing up as a shepherd and farmer, he would have often seen mother birds gathering their chicks at the slightest hint of danger. Hidden from the predator, the chicks would be comforted by the sound of their mother’s heartbeat and the warmth of her wings. They might not understand what the mother knew, that they would live even if it meant the mother would die to ensure it. Before my enemies, David prayed, I want the place of a helpless chick, tucked beneath the wing, sheltered with the reassuring sound of a mother’s heartbeat.
If you are a child of God, you have this same place of safety. The enemies may be on the prowl, dangers at every turn. But our Father will spread His wings over you. And you will be the apple of His eye.