How often has someone asked you to not “touch the anointed of God”? Too regularly to remember? Such subtle a command customarily comes out when a certain leader is under scrutiny, justifiably so or not. But have you ever wondered what the origin and context of that warning could be?
Conrad Mbewe sarcastically states that “If there has been a phrase in the Bible that has been recently tortured until it confesses a lie, it is the phrase, “Touch not the Lord’s anointed.”
Would it surprise you to see that the phrase is only mentioned twice in the whole Bible?
We first find that statement in 1 Chronicles 16:22 where the Chronicler chronicles King David’s ecstatic song to Asaph after the king placed the Ark of God’s covenant amidst the tabernacle David erected.
1 Chronicles 16:8-36 is a Psalm that rehearses and recounts tales of Israel’s triumph over her antagonists on her travel from the four-century Egyptian captivity to Canaan.
Psalm 105:1-15, where that phrase appears again, is a repetition of 1 Chronicles 16:8-22 (almost) word for word. The rest of that Psalm continues to converse and commend God’s consistent hand in preserving, providing and protecting Israel over and against her foes.
Thus, the only two scriptures that speak against touching God’s anointed narrate the same events. Those forbidden from touching Israel were the kingdoms through which Israel passed, and which thought of wiping her off the face of the earth (c.f. 1 Chron 16:20-21).
From this, we notice that the ‘anointed’ in view are Israel as an entire nation, not specifically her leaders.
God is not creating classism within one country by suggesting that some are more special and deserving of protection than others.
We should also notice that Israel, as a nation, was not exempt from God’s discipline, correction, and rebuke. We will occasionally see, especially in the Prophetic literature, that God even uses the wicked nations such as Babylon, Assyria, and Syria to judge His people.
Therefore, when God forbade the surrounding nations from touching His anointed, that is, Israel, He meant that no one should maliciously harm them. He created and redeemed them for His glory. Any nation that seeks to destroy them out of envy shall face God.
Current Context
The Church of Christ as spiritual Israel (Rom 9:6-8, 1 Peter 2:9) and God’s people of promise, is secure in the hands of Him who cares for her.
But the New Testament, rather than promising Christians protection from physical or emotional harm, promises them persecution (Mark 10:30, 2 Tim 3:12). We are not under the illusion that salvation is smooth sailing.
Also, the New Testament, just like we saw in 1 Chronicles 16 and Psalm 105, does not introduce classes in the Church, as though some deserve more protection from God than others.
To the contrary, God takes leaders through more dangers. Thus, Paul’s says in 1 Corinthians 4:9 that:
I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.
It is also essential to know that our assurance of God’s protection does not mitigate against being rebuked and corrected. We see Paul publicly rebuke Peter (Gal 2:11-14), and Demas the deserter is denounced (2 Timothy 4:10).
Therefore, ‘touch not My anointed’ must not be used as a cloak to cover oneself from accountability, whether moral or doctrinal.
That phrase is not about particular persons protected from public scrutiny but the corporate Church kept from the harm of Satan.
It is a warning against the world that seeks to maliciously mistreat the Church of Christ, that He who gave Himself for her salvation will not let any of her enemies go unpunished.
“Touch not My anointed” is not against questioning the leader’s unscrupulous activity and doctrine in the church but about God’s unswerving commitment to the salvation of His people.