Tuesday, January 11, 2011

The Apple of His Eye


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"He found them in the wilderness, a wasteland of howling desert. He shielded them and cared for them as the apple of His eye." Deut 32:10


I’ve been reflecting on this passage for a few days now. It is interesting what happens when we substitute the word “me” for the word “them.”

He found ME in the wilderness. He shielded ME and cared for ME.

Isn’t that true? When I think back over my life that’s exactly where God found me, in a wilderness, a wasteland. It wasn’t a geographical place but a state of being. It was the condition of my mind and spirit.

If God found me, then it’s obvious that he was looking for me. God was seeking me as he seeks all of us who are lost in a wilderness.

There is rich imagery in this passage. Imagine yourself in a deserted place, a wasteland, the desert. It is described as a howling desert – according to the Greek it is a howling of beasts. Can you imagine yourself in a place like that, helpless. The sun setting and you can hear the sound of the animals you know will come to devour you when the light is gone. Imagine the terror.

This is when God finds us, when all seems lost; when there is no hope; when we give up; when we let go and let God. This is when the Lord shields us from the terror of the night. Some translations tell us the “He encircled them.” They were protected from every side. It is something like circling the wagons except our protection is not made of canvas and wood but is the King of Glory himself, “The Lord, the mighty, the valiant, the Lord, the valiant in battle.” (Psalm 24)

Having been saved by the Lord we are also cared for by him. We are held in his arms until we stop trembling from fear. Our wounds are tended to; we are fed; we are healed; we are led home. We are kept as the apple of his eye, something cherished beyond everything else. Literally translated, the original Hebrew word means “the little man in the eye.” It is the small reflection of ourselves that we see in another’s eye. When God looks at us he sees a reflection of himself in the apple of our eye. When we look at God we see a reflection of ourselves in his. God finds us in the wilderness and we find ourselves in God. He is our origin and our destination.

One last thought, the next time we we’re walking down the street and encounter a homeless person or someone with mental illness, an immigrant, or run across the person we really can’t stand, anyone really, if we take a good look into their eyes, the apple of their eye, who do we see? Does it make a difference?

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