Touch not the Lord's anointed?
5 min read
Many false teachers love this verse, but they love it for the wrong reason. They love misusing it to their own advantage, at the expense of those who are sitting under their preaching.
False teachers think that this verse makes them and their preaching "untouchable". They think that no one should ever challenge anything the "man of God" says or does. It's a very attractive benefit to any job. Imagine never being wrong, never being held accountable, and never being challenged or corrected by anyone. Who wouldn't want that? No wonder these preachers twist this verse and teach it wrongly.
False teachers love this verse
False teachers twist this verse to instil fear in anyone who would dare speak against them. False teachers will tell you that you will be cursed if you challenge them, question them, or speak against them. They will tell you that sickness will come upon you if you raise your voice against them, even if they are wicked and in sin.
Benny Hinn, a false teacher, is famous for saying such things on television. However, he is not the only one. There are many preachers who teach the same thing inside their local churches. These preachers have forgotten that they are accountable to God.
Church leaders are commanded by God to not be domineering over those under their care. They should not be overbearing and they should not arrogantly assert their own will upon believers. They are also commanded not to be shepherding the flock of God for shameful gain.
The context of the verse
It is important to look at what "touch not" actually means in Psalm 105:15. In this Psalm, David is inspired to write about God's people. Before the famous "touch not" in verse 15, David makes it clear that the context is about all of God's people, Israel.
As we can see, the context of Psalm 105:15 is not at all about preachers. The context is about all those that belong to God and have been called by God to be his people. The words of Psalm 105:15 are for all God's people. God does not want anyone to harm any of his children. It is wrong to apply this verse only to preachers or church leaders.
Every person whom Jesus draws to himself is adopted by God and anointed with the Holy Spirit.
Thus, when God says "touch not my anointed", it is in reference to every one of his children. There is an erroneous practice in Christian circles to think that only preachers are anointed. We tend to think that the more they shout and appear fervent, the more anointed they are. This is false. We are all anointed and of equal importance to God, regardless of whether we preach or not.
Using David out of context
When teaching on the subject of "touch not", preachers often reference the example of David, who did not want to touch the Lord's anointed, king Saul. David did not want to kill or physically attack Saul while he was still anointed king, even though David had good reasons to do so.
This example of David is very different from how many preachers use "touch not" today. These preachers want "touch not" to mean not challenging their preaching and teaching, but that's not Biblical. The Bible teaches us to do just the opposite.
Conclusion
It is false teachers, who teach false teachings, that use the "touch not" verse out of context. When a preacher uses this verse for themselves, it because they have something to hide. False teachers use this verse to bully people into submission, and to make them too afraid to speak out against their errors and abuse.
Those who fall prey to the deception hiding in the phrase "touch not the Lord's anointed", end up idolizing their leaders. They end up believing that their leader is always right and that they should never be questioned. This is exactly what false teachers want to achieve with this verse.
Remember, no leader is always right. A quality of a true leader is the humility to be questioned, and to admit when they are wrong.