Psalm Meditation 1157 ¶Proper 16 ¶August 21, 2022 ¶Psalm 17 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+17&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶Word and phrase meanings and origins have been a fascination of mine for most of my life, so, “Guard me as the apple of the eye“ caught my attention. Without going too far down a rabbit hole, I found two sources. For Shakespeare the apple of the eye was the pupil. They had no other name for it, it is sort of apple shaped, so that seemed a fitting name for it. In Hebrew the phrase translates as, ‘the little person of the eye,’ the reflection one sees as someone looks at you. To be the apple of one’s eye is to be the sole focus of the one who sees you. ¶To be the apple of the eye of God is really something. Since God is so far beyond us, we have no comprehension of how it happens, however God has a way of seeing each of us as if and because we are the most important person to God in every moment. God is not looking at us to judge us, to find fault and error in any part of our lives. God is looking at us with a love that is deeper and more intense than any love we can offer to God or any one else. ¶When the psalmist asks to be guarded as the apple of God’s eye, it is already happening. The only thing left is for the psalmist to realize that God is already offering all the love and attention the psalmist could possibly use. And the rest of the psalm will also come to pass but not because of God. These adversaries will continue to pursue their worldly aims while ignoring the presence of God. God continues to offer the love and attention to everyone, even to those who choose to ignore it. ¶August 16, 2022 ¶LCM