A GOOD NEWS MUSIC EVENT
Why Revelation A Good News Music Event: Oh Canada, Apple Of My Eye
The phrase “apple of my eye” is an English idiom used to describe someone or something that is deeply loved, treasured, and protected at all costs—someone who holds a special place in the heart. Oxford Languages defines it as “a person whom one is extremely fond of and proud of.” Historically, during the reign of Alfred the Great, the pupil at the center of the eye was called the apple, as it was mistakenly believed to be an apple-shaped solid. Because this delicate part of the eye is essential for vision, it had to be guarded at all costs. Over time, the apple of my eye came to mean a person or thing that is dearly cherished and fiercely protected.
The earliest recorded use of this idiom appears in Alfred the Great’s Old English translation of Pope Gregory I’s Cura Pastoralis. Later, when translating the Bible into English, William Tyndale employed this idiom in several key passages of Scripture.
A Call to a Righteous Standard
Biblical Foundations
Proverbs 7:2: “Keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye.”
Deuteronomy 32:10: “He found him in a desert land and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.”
Psalm 17:8: “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.”
Moses’ Song and God’s Covenant Love
“He found him in a desert land and in the howling waste of the wilderness;
he encircled him, he cared for him,
he kept him as the apple of his eye.
Like an eagle that stirs up its nest
and flutters over its young,
that spreads its wings to catch them
and carries them aloft.”
—Deuteronomy 32:10–11
When we read all of Deuteronomy chapter 32, rather than isolating verses 10–11, we see that this song—recited by Moses approximately 3,500 years ago before the assembly of Israel—is not merely a sentimental expression of God’s love. Instead, it is a covenantal proclamation: God lovingly calls out His people, rebukes them for their rebellion, and declares how He will deal with their sin while remaining faithful to His promises.
The chapter unfolds as follows:
1. Ascribing greatness to God (vv. 1–4)
2. The Lord nurtures His people (vv. 5–14)
3. The people rebel against the Lord (vv. 15–18)
4. The Lord recompenses their deeds (vv. 19–43)
5. An exhortation to obey (vv. 44–47)
6. Moses’ death foretold
God gives His beloved people—called Jeshurun—a sobering reality check, reminding them how far they have fallen so that they might turn back to Him. Yet even in judgment, God promises cleansing and atonement (Deuteronomy 32:43).
Fulfilled and Surpassed in Jesus Christ
What God promised in seed form through Moses, He fulfills—and surpasses—through Jesus Christ.
Understanding and abiding in God’s love through Jesus, both individually and as a nation, is the only way to experience true safety, protection, and blessing. While sin brought curses and separation, Jesus took those curses upon Himself.
The Gospel declares this truth plainly:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
—John 3:16
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
—2 Corinthians 5:21
Jesus bears God’s wrath on our behalf and becomes the once-for-all atoning sacrifice, so that we may receive blessing instead of curse, life instead of death.
Jesus Himself tells us that this Good News demands a response—not human effort, but belief:
“The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
—John 6:29
Using imagery reminiscent of Moses’ song, Jesus laments over Jerusalem:
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem… how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”
—Matthew 23:37
A Call to Canada
How will we respond to His message?
How will we respond as a nation?
Oh Canada, Apple of My Eye was the theme for last years event because it allowed us—through worship, music, and the bold proclamation of the Gospel—to address the only cure for the brokenness we see in ourselves, in Canada, and among the nations: surrendering our lives to Jesus Christ, so that we may be loved, cared for, protected, and kept as the apple of His eye.
OH CANADA, APPLE OF MY EYE
AND THE GOSPEL
Because of the fall of our first parents—Adam and Eve—who rebelled against God, all humanity is lost and spiritually dead before Him. We are in need of being found by Jesus, regenerated by His grace, and made alive through the work of the Holy Spirit.
When a person is regenerated and filled with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit empowers them to obey God’s law and commandments—not as a means of earning salvation, but as the fruit of a restored relationship with God. This new life enables us to live in a way that is holy and pleasing to God, and to walk in harmony with Him and with others.
Only through Jesus Christ and His atoning work on the cross can we abide in God’s love and be kept by it. Through Christ, we grow, mature, and prosper spiritually, learning to obey His teachings and becoming God’s workmanship—created for the good works He prepared in advance for us to walk in.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to advance His Kingdom on earth. We are commissioned to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—and teaching them to obey all that Christ has commanded. Those disciples, in turn, are sent to go and do the same.
RECAP: APPLE OF MY EYE AND THE GOSPEL
1) YOU ARE SPIRITUALLY LOST (SPIRITUALLY DEAD) AND NEED TO BE FOUND BY JESUS
(John 6:44, Ephesians 2:1, Genesis 3:9–10)
“He found him in a desert land,
and in the howling waste of the wilderness;
he encircled him, he cared for him,
he kept him as the apple of his eye.”
—Deuteronomy 32:10
2) LOVE FOR JESUS RESULTS IN OBEDIENCE THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT
(John 14:15; John 16:7; John 14:26; Matthew 22:37–39; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Peter 1:15–16)
Jesus said if we love Him we will obey His commandments. Once Jesus makes us alive in Himself, He gives us the Holy Spirit who then enables us to obey God’s commands so that we can live a life that is holy and pleasing to God.
“Keep my commands and you will live;
guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
Bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.”
—Proverbs 7:2–3
3) ABIDING IN CHRIST IS THE SOURCE OF LIFE, FRUIT, AND PROTECTION
(John 15:5, 15:9; Matthew 23:37)
Jesus said that apart from Him we can do nothing. We must abide in His love so that we can bear much fruit. True protection and belonging happen when we abide in Christ Jesus by putting our faith and trust in Him alone.
“Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings
from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
from my mortal enemies who surround me.”
—Psalm 17:8–9