Zachariah 2:8
‘For the LORD of armies says this: “After glory He has sent me against the nations that plunder you, for the one who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.”’
I am journaling through the Old Testament and came upon this verse. Most of these Old Testament books are heavy on judgment. However, tucked here and there are treasures like this verse.
Zachariah was a post exilic prophet. I’m not sure how old he was. If under 70, then he was born in Babylon. Israel was captured and sent to there as a punishment. When done God brought them back. He used Nehamiah to lead in building the city’s wall and Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple.
God used a foreign power to punish them. However, today’s verse has some of the nations bullying them. God is going to stand up for them. He cares for them. It hurts Him when they are harassed. He gives a caring comparison. If they touch Israel, it’s as if they are punching God in the eye. That’s offensive. He will act.
What’s amazing is that this is how He feels about His children. If anyone bullies them, then they are doing that to God. He will act. It might not be in the way we think, but He will act.
There are many times I have felt mistreated in an unjust way. It was tough. I knew that God loved me and would be there for me. I had hoped the situation would have ended in a particular way. Rarely so. Isaiah 55:9 says, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” We must be careful with our expectations. We can pray for Him to intervene. He will, but not as we would expect. We can know that He will care for us.
It would be nice if justice was exacted immediately, but that is rare. It will happen, but possibly not always on earth. At least not right away in a manner we expect.
We can walk in confidence not fearing man. We can know He is there with us. Nothing can happen to us unless it’s His will. Jesus went to His hometown to share His message. They rejected it and sought to kill Him. However, God had plans for Him and their actions were thwarted. Here it is in Luke 4:28-30, “And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and brought Him to the crest of the hill on which their city had been built, so that they could throw Him down from the cliff. But He passed through their midst and went on His way.” We can have that same confidence. We are to love others and do His will. We are to speak His Word and share His message. Some will be offended by it. Some will speak against us or worse. We aren’t to worry. We are to calmly trust Him and go our way. We are the apple of His eye.
We must be careful that our recklessness doesn’t get us into trouble. Proverbs gives us many warnings about how we are to be. We aren’t to be angry people. We aren’t to meddle in business not belonging to us. We aren’t to be unloving or judgmental and so on. I Peter 4:14,15 speaks about this, “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory, and of God, rests upon you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler.” There is nothing virtuous about suffering for being a fool.
Thank You, Lord, for caring for us and protecting us. Help us to walk in Your ways. Thank You for being there for us.