Zechariah 2:6-13: a reflection

6Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north,’ says the LORD; ‘for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the sky,’ says the LORD. 7‘Come, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.’ 8For the LORD of Armies says: ‘For honor he has sent me to the nations which plundered you; for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye. 9For, behold, I will shake my hand over them, and they will be a plunder to those who served them; and you will know that the LORD of Armies has sent me. 10Sing and rejoice, daughter of Zion! For behold, I come and I will dwell within you,’ says the LORD. 11Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell among you, and you shall know that the LORD of Armies has sent me to you. 12The LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem. 13Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD; for he has roused himself from his holy habitation!”

As God calls his exiled people home and promises judgment on those who plundered them, he gives a reason that reveals how precious they are to him: He who touches you touches the apple of his eye. The apple of the eye, the pupil, is among the most tender and carefully guarded parts of the body, instinctively protected from the least harm. To say that whoever touches God's people touches the apple of his eye is to say that they are supremely precious to him, tenderly guarded, that harm to them is felt by him as harm to something most sensitive and dear. God's people are precious to him, cherished and protected as the apple of his eye.

Notice how precious God's people are to him: as the apple of his eye. He does not speak of them as a distant possession, but as something most tender and dear, the very pupil of his eye, which is instinctively guarded from the least touch. Harm to his people is felt by God as an assault on what is most precious and sensitive to him. This is how he regards those who are his: not as expendable, not as distant, but as cherished, tenderly guarded, precious as the apple of his eye. To touch them is to touch what he holds most dear; his people are the object of his tender, protective love.

That is worth resting in, for we who are God's people are precious to him, cherished as the apple of his eye. We can feel small, expendable, easily overlooked, as though God did not particularly cherish us; but God regards his people as the apple of his eye, supremely precious to him, tenderly guarded. To touch us is to touch what he holds most dear. When you feel small or expendable, remember that you are precious to God, cherished as the apple of his eye, tenderly guarded by him. Rest in how precious you are to God, cherished as the apple of his eye, tenderly guarded, so that whoever touches you touches what he holds most dear, as God said of his people; for we who are his are not expendable or overlooked, but supremely precious to God, and he guards us with the tender care one gives to the most sensitive and dear part of oneself.

Lord, as you call your exiled people home and promise judgment on those who plundered them, you give a reason that reveals how precious they are to you: he who touches you touches the apple of his eye. The apple of the eye, the pupil, is among the most tender and carefully guarded parts of the body, instinctively protected from the least harm. To say that whoever touches your people touches the apple of your eye is to say that they are supremely precious to you, tenderly guarded, that harm to them is felt by you as harm to something most sensitive and dear. Show me how precious your people are to you: as the apple of your eye. You do not speak of them as a distant possession, but as something most tender and dear, the very pupil of your eye, which is instinctively guarded from the least touch. Harm to your people is felt by you as an assault on what is most precious to you. This is how you regard those who are yours: cherished, tenderly guarded, precious as the apple of your eye. Let me rest in that, for I who am your child am precious to you, cherished as the apple of your eye. I can feel small, expendable, easily overlooked, as though you did not particularly cherish me; but you regard your people as the apple of your eye, supremely precious to you. When I feel small or expendable, help me remember that I am precious to you, Lord, cherished as the apple of your eye, tenderly guarded by you. Help me rest in how precious I am to you, so that whoever touches me touches what you hold most dear.