Psalm 17- Apple of Your Eye

 Psalm 17- Apple of Your Eye

Psalms 17:1-15 (NKJV) 

1 A Prayer of David. Hear a just cause, O LORD, Attend to my cry; Give ear to my prayer [which is] not from deceitful lips. 2 Let my vindication come from Your presence; Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright. 3 You have tested my heart; You have visited [me] in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. 4 Concerning the works of men, By the word of Your lips, I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer. 5 Uphold my steps in Your paths, [That] my footsteps may not slip. 6 I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; Incline Your ear to me, [and] hear my speech. 7 Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust [in You] From those who rise up [against them.] 8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings, 9 From the wicked who oppress me, [From] my deadly enemies who surround me. 10 They have closed up their fat [hearts;] With their mouths they speak proudly. 11 They have now surrounded us in our steps; They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth, 12 As a lion is eager to tear his prey, And like a young lion lurking in secret places. 13 Arise, O LORD, Confront him, cast him down; Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword, 14 With Your hand from men, O LORD, From men of the world [who have] their portion in [this] life, And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure. They are satisfied with children, And leave the rest of their [possession] for their babes. 15 As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.

Psalms 17:8 (NET) Protect me as you would protect the pupil of your eye! Hide me in the shadow of your wings!

Matthew 23:37 (NET)

37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it!

How can we comprehend the marvelous lovingkindness of the Lord? The psalmist is a poet and likens the Lord’s care for us to how much we protect our eye, and especially the central part, the apple or pupil. He also likens the Lord’s love and protection to a mother hen sheltering her chicks under her wing. Maybe part of why I have so much difficulty receiving the love of the Lord is that much of this poetic imagery is lost on me. After all, the pupil of the eye is nothing but a hole. The magic is in other parts like the cornea that keeps the vitreous fluid in while letting light pass through, and the lens that magically focus on far or near as needed. Then there is the retina that converts the light to an image to sends it to the brain and the macular layer that protects the retinal. My wife and I have had problems with many of these parts of the eye, so are very aware of protecting those parts and have intimately knowledge of the blindness that will follow if any on of them is damaged.

Likewise, I wouldn’t have picked a mother hen as the ideal protective mother. I raised chickens as a youth and am not an admirer of a chickens protective instincts. A mother hen will shelter her chicks under her wing to protect them and keep them warm, but that is about the extent of her motherly care. Other than that, the chicks pretty much have to fend for themselves and find food where they can. I would have picked a mother dog or cat as a better mother that actually cares for her young, but then that is not as poetic as “gathers her chicks under her wings”.

That being said, the Lord’s marvelous lovingkindness is greater than all that. He protects our innermost being and shelters us under his wings when we are surrounded by multitudes of enemies. 

What enemies are you surrounded by? Fear, anger, want, loneliness, anxiety, hurts and disease can be found all around us. The psalmist cries out “Arise, O LORD, Confront him, cast him down; ”. Likewise, we can cry out to the Lord to cast down our enemies. There are spiritual forces in high places that wish to harm us (Eph 6:12) These are our enemies and our best and only protection comes from the Lord. Remember that the Lord will keep you, like the apple of his eye and will shelter you under his wings. Calling on Him and having faith in his lovingkindness toward you will enable you to say, with the psalmist, “As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.”