Zechariah 2:8, commentary and pictures

To touch God's people is to touch what is most tender to Himself, for they are precious and dear to Him as the apple of His eye, so that harm done to them is harm done to Him. It was spoken in visions to reassure the returned Jews who feared permission to rebuild Jerusalem would be withdrawn, promising God's compassion and restoration and declaring He had sent against the nations that plundered them to make them spoil to their own servants. The church is His dearest object on earth, loved with infinite love and guarded with jealous, watchful care because He paid a ransom to redeem it, and Christ so identifies Himself with His faithful people that He suffers in their affliction and no one can wound even one sincere follower without striking the shielding hand spread over them. He is their tender guardian who remembers wrongs and will avenge injustice though He bears patiently for a time, yet He permits them to be sorely tried in the fiery furnace to burn away dross, keeping His eye upon them every moment so they are purified and not consumed. In the trying hour when protection seems withdrawn and they flee to desolate places and mountains or are cast into bondage, prison and sentence of death with no human help, they are still precious to Him and graven upon His hands, and His power is near both to deliver from distress and to keep them faithful by grace so they never lose integrity.

Historical Setting and Promise

The promise belongs to a series of symbolic visions given when the returned Jews feared that permission to rebuild Jerusalem might be withdrawn. The visions assured them of divine compassion and love and promised comfort and restoration for Jerusalem despite the nations that had afflicted them. In that setting the word was also an appeal to the Israelites still settled in Babylon to leave those lands and return to Zion and Judea. The way was opening before them before the troubled times under Xerxes, the Ahasuerus of Esther, yet few responded. Had the appeal been heeded, their circumstances in the time of Mordecai and Esther might have been different.

The declaration is that after the glory the Lord has sent a messenger against the nations that plundered His people. He promises to act against those nations and to make them a spoil to their own servants. At the same time He acts for the relief and favor of His afflicted people, who remain precious to Him. To harm them is to harm what is as dear to Him as the apple of His eye, and for that reason He will defend them.

The setting reveals a larger conflict in which Jerusalem represents the church. The Lord comes to the relief of His afflicted people in answer to intercession and in pity toward them. His work for them through the coming Messiah is opposed by Satan, who stands before the angel to resist every church and its ministers in their work of ministering the Word and to resist the Lord's working on behalf of His people. The surrounding promises add that God will dwell among His people, that many nations will join Him, and that He will again claim Judah and choose Jerusalem.

Precious as Apple's Eye

To touch God's people is to touch the apple of His eye, for they are precious and dear to Him as what is most tender to Himself, and harm done to them is harm done to Him. He is their guardian and cares for them tenderly, remembers and will deal with those who do them wrong, and has sent a messenger against the nations that plundered them to make them a spoil to their own servants while acting for the relief and favor of His afflicted people. Even in the trying hour when protection seems withdrawn and they flee from cities and villages to desolate places and mountains and are cast into unjust and cruel bondage, chains, prison bars, starvation, dungeons, and sentence of death with no human ear to hear or hand to help, they are not forgotten but are precious to Him and graven upon His hands. Dungeon walls cannot cut off communion between their souls and Christ, who sees every weakness and knows every trial and is above all earthly powers, and angels come to them in lonely cells bringing light and peace from heaven so that the prison becomes as a palace lighted with heavenly light. The church represented by Jerusalem is His dearest object on earth and the dearest thing to Him in the world, loved with infinite love and guarded with jealous, watchful care. He has paid a ransom to save and redeem His heritage and is not willing for anything to separate His people from Him where He cannot protect and prosper them for His name's glory, yet He permits them to be sorely tried in the fiery furnace to separate and burn away dross, keeping His eye upon them every moment while they are purified so they are not consumed.

Christ identifies His interests with His faithful people and suffers and shares affliction in them, so an injury aimed at even a sincere follower wounds the covering hand of Jesus, and no one can wound them without striking the shielding hand spread over them as a shield. His power is near both to deliver from physical harm and distress and to save from the greater evil of losing integrity, enabling them by divine grace to remain faithful in every circumstance, and their prayers delight Him. Their dearness cost the infinite price of the Son yielding honor, glory, throne and court, becoming poor that they might be made rich, and giving His life through the agony of Gethsemane and Calvary to reveal His love and move men from transgression. He is united to them by a love far greater and more enduring than human family ties, a deep unchanging love that is a continual assurance and guarantee of His faithfulness, so that in trial, want, perplexity and distress they are not alone but at every step He bids them follow Him and promises never to leave nor forsake them, though this blessed assurance is given only on condition of obedience and faithfulness. Because believers cost so much and are so dear as the purchase of His blood, fellow church members must deal with one another tenderly, patiently, kindly and affectionately, faithfully laboring to lift up the desponding and discouraged and never hurting, pushing or destroying one of His little ones.

Applied to children, belonging to God means that injustice or oppression against them is an offense against Him for which parents must answer. He guards even the humblest of His followers and servants, stands up for their rights, and protects them like a shield. He is the eternal and universal guardian of justice who cannot be shut out of any matter where their rights are concerned, taking their part against all who would wrong them and upholding justice when their rights are threatened. The image of touching the apple of the eye also illustrates the sharp hurt and anger felt when a cherished concern is challenged, as when treating tract and missionary work as an overriding interest makes criticism feel like personal injury and can weaken spirituality and forbearance.

Guardianship Through Trial and Trouble

The verse declares God the tender guardian of His people, who counts injury to them as injury to what is most precious to Himself and who will deal with those who wrong them. He may bear patiently with injustice for a time, yet He remembers every wrong and will bring justice and avenge His oppressed rather than leave them under oppression. He is the eternal and universal guardian of justice who cannot be shut out of any matter touching the rights of His children, taking their part against all who would wrong them. He stands up for their rights and spreads His shielding hand over them, so that none can wound them without smiting that hand.

That guardianship does not exclude trial, for He permits His people to be sorely tried in the fiery furnace to separate and burn away the dross. While they are thus purified He keeps His eye upon them every moment, watching so that they are purified but not consumed. They are on trial and must repent and obey, and the assurance of His abiding presence with them is given only on condition of obedience and faithfulness.

The promise holds even in the trying hour when outward protection is withdrawn and they flee from cities and villages to desolate places and mountains. Though they are cast into unjust and cruel bondage, chains, prison bars, starvation, dungeons, and sentence of death, with no human ear to hear or hand to help, they remain precious to Him, graven upon His hands, and are not forgotten. Dungeon walls cannot cut off communion between their souls and Christ, who sees every weakness, knows every trial, and is above all earthly powers. Angels come to them in lonely cells bringing light and peace from heaven, so that the prison becomes as a palace lighted with heavenly light.

His power is near both to deliver from physical harm and distress and to save from the greater evil of losing integrity, enabling them by divine grace to remain faithful in every circumstance. Those who stand with God need not fear even when oppression threatens, for in trial, want, perplexity, and distress they are not alone. Jesus remains with them, bids them at every step to follow Him, promises never to leave nor forsake them, shares their affliction, and delights in their prayers. Because believers cost so much and are so dear as the purchase of His blood, fellow members must deal with one another tenderly, patiently, kindly, and affectionately, faithfully laboring to lift up the desponding and discouraged and never hurting, pushing, or destroying one of His little ones.