"And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant,
saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance; When they
were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it. When they went from
one nation to another, and from one kingdom to another people; He suffered no man to do
them wrong; yea, he reproved kings for their sakes; Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and
do my prophets no harm." (Psalm 105:10-15.)

The immediate context of the verse is a reference to the patriarch Jacob, who was not an
ordained preacher, at least not as we would understand that concept today. Just what kind of
hazard was Jacob in fear of as he wandered from one nation to another people? Did he live in
mortal dread that someone, somewhere, would criticize him? No, his concern was that the
heathen would use physical violence against him. Read his complaint in Genesis 34:30:"And

Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the
inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in
number, they shall gather themselves against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I
and my house."

may be commendable and necessary (see Jesus criticizing the Pharisees in Matthew 23, Paul criticizing Peter in Galatians 2:14-21, Paul versus the Judaizers in Galatians 5:12, Philippians 3:2, etc.) but they are not covered by the idea "Touch not the Lord's anointed."

forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch forth mine
hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord. So David stayed his servants with
these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave,
and went on his way." Immediately afterward, David publicly criticized Saul in front of 3000
of Saul's troops, as well as his own 600 men, saying "The Lord judge between me and thee,
and the Lord avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. As sayeth the
proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked, but mine hand shall not
be upon thee." (1 Samuel 24:12-13.) No one seemed to feel that David was touching the Lord's

thine enemy into thine hand this day: Now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with
the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time. And David
said to Abishai, Destroy him not; for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord's
anointed, and be guiltless? David said furthermore, As the Lord liveth, the Lord shall smite
him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish. The Lord
forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the Lord's anointed." (1 Samuel 26:8-

11.) David was willing to let judgment be executed against King Saul by the hand of another. He
was not talking about the judgment of someone criticizing Saul, or disagreeing with Saul, or
printing an article in opposition to Saul's doctrine, but rather about the violent death of Saul.
That is what it means to touch the Lord's anointed.

of a big-name televangelist? Had he exposed the moral failings of a preacher falsely claiming to
be a holy man of God? Had he voiced opposition to some pastor's proposed building program?
No, his offense was of an entirely different nature - by his own testimony,he had taken his

already dead and that the Amalekite stripped his body and then concocted the story of having killed Saul in the vain hope of receiving a reward from David.) Regardless of whether or not this man killed Saul, David believed that he had killed Saul and had him executed for that offense,

Why, then, do we hear so much whining from preachers today who warn their followers, and
their critics, not to touch the Lord's anointed? Just what do these preachers have to hide, and
what are they so anxious to cover up? One would think that it is the unpardonable sin to
criticize or find fault with any preacher in any way. Some of the big televangelists have even
hinted that God will punish their detractors with death.

To rebuke a preacher who has committed errors of false doctrine or practice cannot be the sin
of touching the Lord's anointed, because it does not involve the use or threat of physical
violence. Such rebuke is appropriate and even commanded in certain instances. "But when

of elder here is the same as the scriptural office of bishop or pastor. Presumably it would also
include televangelists and ecumenical evangelists, even though no such creatures are
authorized in the New Testament, and they could not be higher in rank than the Apostle Peter,
who Paul rebuked publicly before the congregation of Antioch.

Since we are instructed so many times that we must not touch the Lord's anointed, it might
help to check out the New Testament and find out just who are the Lord's anointed today. In 2
Corinthians 1:21-22 we read; "Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath

anointed us, is God; who also hath sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our
hearts." The Apostle John tells us, "But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know
all things.... But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need
not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is
truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." (1 John 2:20,27.)

"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ ... But ye are a chosen generation, a
royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of
him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." (1 Peter 2:5,9.)

In the light of this glorious truth, that all born-again believers are the Lord's anointed,
perhaps when we are admonished by a preacher to "Touch not the Lord's anointed," we would
do well to answer, "Same to you, buddy!" In fact, the preacher from his place of prominence in
the pulpit can do more harm, to more people, than the average man in the pew, if he is
following unscriptural principles and practices, and therefore he is to be more carefully
scrutinized and watched. Yes, the preacher is the Lord's anointed, if he is truly saved, but so
are you, and so are we. We owe a tremendous amount of courtesy to all of God's true

believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." (1 Timothy 4:12.)
"My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater
condemnation. For in many things we offend all." (James 3:1-2.)

The preacher or evangelist who thunders forth with the command "Touch not the Lord's
anointed" intends thereby to silence and shut the mouths of all who might find fault with his
doctrines or methods, no matter how unscriptural they may be, He is a man with much to
hide, a man who cannot bear to have his deeds and his ways openly examined and compared
with what the Word of God teaches.

Such a man is very self-centered, selfish, soulish, and in the final analysis childish. A small
child must have everything his own way, and cannot bear to be challenged, contradicted or
denied anything he demands. He feels that the world should revolve around him, and that all
should cater to his wishes. The dictatorial preacher is no different; his followers must devote
themselves entirely to his service, going around on tiptoes for fear of offending him in any way,
while he feels free to offend all. Little or no time or effort is left with which to serve Christ,
after the followers have served the ego and the cravings of their pastor. He is an insecure,
immature man who lives in dread that somewhere there is someone who dares to differ with
him on some minor issue. Christ has appointed believers to liberty, Galatians 5:1, but the

The moment anyone objects to such immature conduct, or to the fleecing of the tithe money
of God's people, or the lapses in moral standards and doctrinal soundness, the preacher
responds, "Touch not the Lord's anointed!" How silly - no one has threatened to slay them
with a sword, as was done to Saul. It is time for such preachers to grow up. We would all
object, and quite rightly, to any powerful layman who attempted to take control of a local
church and to force all the other members to follow his will without question. For a layman to