Part 5: “Touch Not My Anointed”
What That Verse Actually Means
“Be careful.”
“That’s God’s man.”
“You shouldn’t say anything about him.”
“Touch not God’s anointed.”
If you’ve spent much time in church, you’ve probably heard some version of those statements.
Sometimes the warning comes from a sincere desire to protect unity.
And that’s understandable.
Christians shouldn’t enjoy attacking other Christians.
We shouldn’t spread rumors.
We shouldn’t gossip about pastors.
We shouldn’t make accusations without evidence.
We shouldn’t dishonor faithful leaders simply because we disagree with them.
Scripture takes slander seriously.
Scripture takes false accusations seriously.
Scripture teaches us to honor godly leaders.
But this issue has another side.
Sometimes people use the phrase “Touch not my anointed ones” as a way to shield leaders from honest questions, biblical evaluation, correction, or accountability.
A pastor’s teaching is questioned:
“Touch not God’s anointed.”
A prophet’s prediction doesn’t happen:
“Don’t attack God’s prophet.”
A leader behaves wrongly:
“You better be careful what you say about God’s man.”
Someone asks for financial accountability:
“You’re operating in rebellion.”
A church member raises a legitimate concern:
“Don’t put your mouth on the anointed.”
But is that what the Bible means when it says:
“Do not touch my anointed ones”?
Let’s look at the text.
WHERE DOES “TOUCH NOT MY ANOINTED” COME FROM?
The statement appears in Psalm 105:15 and 1 Chronicles 16:22.
Psalm 105 recounts God’s covenant faithfulness throughout Israel’s history.
The psalm describes Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and God’s protection of His covenant people.
Immediately before the famous statement, Psalm 105 describes God’s people wandering among nations.
Then we read:
Psalm 105:14–15 (CSB)
“He allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their behalf: ‘Do not touch my anointed ones, or harm my prophets.’”
Notice the context.
This isn’t a pastor standing before his congregation saying:
“Nobody is allowed to question my leadership because I am God’s anointed.”
God is protecting His people from hostile kings and nations.
The word“touch” isn’t referring to asking questions.
It isn’t describing examining someone’s teaching.
It isn’t talking about respectfully disagreeing with a leader.
It is talking about real harm and oppression.
This is very different from how people sometimes use the verse.
DAVID AND SAUL
Another story frequently connected to this idea involves David and King Saul.
Saul was trying to kill David.
David eventually had an opportunity to kill Saul.
But David refused.
In1 Samuel 24:6, David essentially says he will not harm Saul because Saul is the LORD’s anointed.
Later, David again refuses to kill Saul in1 Samuel 26.
This shows something admirable about David’s character.
David refused to seize the throne through violence.
He trusted God.
He wouldn’t murder Saul to accelerate God’s promise.
That’s worth preaching.
But notice something important.
David refused to kill Saul.
David did not refuse to acknowledge Saul’s wrongdoing.
Read the entire relationship.
David knew Saul was acting wickedly.
David fled from him.
David challenged Saul concerning his actions.
David didn’t pretend Saul’s behavior was acceptable because Saul was anointed.
That is a very important difference.
Honoring Saul’s position didn’t require David to submit himself to Saul’s spear.
HONOR DOESN’T MEAN PRETENDING WRONG IS RIGHT
Sometimes Christians have confused honor with silence.
But biblical honor does not mean being dishonest.
If a leader sins, saying:
“That behavior is wrong”
isn’t automatically dishonor.
If a pastor teaches something contrary to Scripture, saying:
“I don’t believe that teaching is biblical”
isn’t automatically rebellion.
If a prophet makes a prediction that fails, evaluating the prophecy isn’t an attack against the Holy Spirit.
Scripture actually commands discernment.
1 Thessalonians 5:20–21 (CSB)says:
“Don’t despise prophecies, but test all things. Hold on to what is good.”
Notice the balance.
Don’t despise.
But test.
This is what healthy Christianity looks like.
We don’t reject everything.
We don’t accept everything.
We test everything.
THE BEREANS TESTED PAUL
Acts 17 gives us one of the strongest examples.
Paul arrives in Berea preaching the gospel.
The Bereans receive the message eagerly.
But they also examine the Scriptures daily to determine whether Paul’s teaching is true.
Think about who they’re examining.
Paul.
An apostle.
A man who encountered the risen Jesus.
A man through whom God performed extraordinary miracles.
A man who would write a significant portion of the New Testament.
But Luke praises the Bereans for comparing Paul’s message with Scripture.
Apparently:
Testing teaching isn’t dishonoring the teacher.
If Paul could be examined by Scripture, so can I.
So can your pastor.
So can your favorite preacher.
So can the prophet.
So can the apostle.
So can the bishop.
So can the television evangelist.
So can the conference speaker.
So can the bestselling author.
No ministry platform rises above the Word of God.
PAUL CONFRONTED PETER
Now things become even clearer.
Galatians 2:11 (CSB)records Paul saying:
“But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned.”
Cephas is Peter.
Peter wasn’t an obscure church member.
Peter walked with Jesus.
Peter saw miracles.
Peter was present at the transfiguration.
Peter witnessed the crucifixion and resurrection.
Peter preached on Pentecost.
Peter was unquestionably a major leader in the early Church.
And Paul confronted him.
Publicly.
Why?
Because Peter was wrong.
Did Paul violate the principle of “touch not God’s anointed”?
No.
Paul wasn’t attacking Peter’s calling.
He wasn’t murdering Peter.
He wasn’t slandering Peter.
He was confronting conduct that contradicted the gospel.
Clearly, biblical honor and confrontation can go together.
NATHAN CONFRONTED DAVID
Go back to the Old Testament.
David was unquestionably God’s anointed king.
Yet after David’s sin involving Bathsheba and Uriah, God sent the prophet Nathan to confront him.
Nathan tells David a story.
David becomes angry about the injustice described.
Then Nathan delivers one of the strongest confrontations in Scripture:
2 Samuel 12:7 (CSB)
“You are the man!”
Imagine if David had responded:
“Nathan, watch your mouth. I’m God’s anointed.”
But that’s not what happened.
Nathan confronted the anointed king because God Himself demanded accountability.
Being anointed didn’t place David beyond correction.
In fact, his position made him even more accountable.
SAMUEL CONFRONTED SAUL
Saul was also God’s anointed king.
Yet Samuel repeatedly confronted him.
After Saul disobeyed God’s command, Samuel didn’t say:
“Well, he’s anointed, so nobody should question him.”
Samuel told him the truth.
In1 Samuel 15, Samuel confronts Saul’s rebellion and announces the consequences.
Again, the pattern is clear:
Anointing never meant immunity from accountability.
LEADERS ACTUALLY FACE GREATER ACCOUNTABILITY
James gives teachers a sobering warning.
James 3:1 (CSB)says:
“Not many should become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment.”
Think about that.
Leadership doesn’t reduce accountability.
It increases it.
Teachers face stricter judgment.
Pastors will give an account for the flock.
Elders must meet specific character qualifications.
Public ministry carries public responsibility.
So the idea that a leader’s anointing makes them less accountable is the opposite of what the Bible teaches.
WHAT DOES “ANOINTED” MEAN FOR CHRISTIANS?
Another important New Testament reality matters.
Sometimes modern church language suggests that only certain elite leaders are “the anointed.”
But listen to John’s language toward ordinary believers.
1 John 2:20 (CSB)says:
“But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.”
Later, 1 John 2:27 again speaks about the anointing believers have received.
The New Testament certainly recognizes different gifts and leadership responsibilities.
But the Holy Spirit isn’t reserved for celebrity preachers.
Every believer belongs to Christ.
Every believer has the Spirit.
We should not create a special group where only a few leaders are called “the anointed” and everyone else is beneath them.
BUT BE CAREFUL—CRITICISM CAN BECOME SIN
Now we need balance.
Everything I’ve written could be misused.
Someone could say:
“Great! Now I have biblical permission to attack pastors.”
No.
You don’t.
Biblical accountability isn’t an excuse for slander.
There is a difference between:
Correction and character assassination.
There is a difference between:
Discernment and gossip.
There is a difference between:
Exposing genuine wrongdoing and enjoying someone’s downfall.
There is a difference between:
Questioning teaching and attacking someone’s character.
The internet has made this especially difficult.
Entire ministries can be built around criticizing other ministries.
People can spend more time investigating preachers they dislike than studying Jesus.
That is not healthy either.
ACCUSATIONS AGAINST ELDERS ARE SERIOUS
Paul gives Timothy specific instructions concerning accusations against elders.
1 Timothy 5:19 (CSB)says:
“Don’t accept an accusation against an elder unless two or three witnesses support it.”
That’s important.
Rumors shouldn’t destroy pastors.
One angry person shouldn’t be able to invent an accusation and destroy someone’s reputation.
Evidence matters.
Truth matters.
Due process matters.
But notice what comes next.
1 Timothy 5:20 (CSB)says:
“Publicly rebuke those who sin, so that the rest will be afraid.”
That’s remarkable.
Verse 19 protects elders from false accusations.
Verse 20 refuses to protect guilty elders from accountability.
That’s biblical balance.
Don’t believe every accusation.
But don’t cover genuine sin either.
PROTECTION ISN’T THE SAME AS COVER-UP
The Church has sometimes made a tragic mistake.
We want to protect the ministry’s reputation.
So we hide wrongdoing.
“We don’t want people talking.”
“We need to protect the church.”
“Think about what this will do to the ministry.”
But hiding real sin to protect an institution does not protect the Church.
It’s damaging it.
TrutIt actually harms the Church.n Christ’s Church.
Sin does.
When wrongdoing occurs, follow biblical processes carefully, truthfully, fairly, and without sensationalism.
Victims should not be sacrificed to preserve a leader’s platform.
Nor should leaders be condemned merely by accusation.
Truth should be more important than reputation.
JESUS IS THE ONE WE PROTECT
Sometimes we become so concerned about protecting leaders that we forget whose reputation ultimately matters.
Jesus.
The Church belongs to Him.
If a leader behaves in a way that dishonors Christ, hiding the behavior doesn’t protect Jesus.
Repentance honors Jesus.
Truth honors Jesus.
Justice honors Jesus.
Restoration honors Jesus.
Accountability honors Jesus.
We do not need to protect Jesus from the truth.
THE RIGHT QUESTION
So what should we do when we have concerns about spiritual leadership?
Ask:
Is this true?
Not:
“Do I like the leader?”
Not:
“Do I dislike the leader?”
Not:
“Is this person popular?”
Not:
“How large is the ministry?”
Not:
“How anointed do they seem?”
Ask:
What does Scripture say?
Is the teaching biblical?
Is the accusation credible?
Are there witnesses?
Has proper process been followed?
Is the concern about actual sin or merely preference?
Is correction being pursued for restoration or revenge?
These questions are important.
HONOR AND ACCOUNTABILITY BELONG TOGETHER
We shouldn’t have to choose between honoring leaders and holding leaders accountable.
Biblically, those ideas belong together.
Honor means I don’t casually attack you.
Accountability means I don’t pretend you can’t be wrong.
Honor means I refuse to gossip.
Accountability means I refuse to cover serious sin.
Honor means I recognize your calling.
Accountability means your calling doesn’t place you above Scripture.
Honor means I pray for you.
Accountability means I may sometimes need to speak truth to you.
This is what a biblical family looks like.
NOBODY IS UNTOUCHABLE
The phrase“Touch not my anointed ones” is Scripture.
We shouldn’t mock it.
We shouldn’t dismiss it.
We should understand it.
God protected His covenant people.
David refused to murder Saul.
Those passages offer powerful lessons about trusting God, refusing vengeance, respecting what God has established, and not taking justice into our own hands.
But those passages do not create an untouchable class of Christian leaders who cannot be questioned, evaluated, corrected, or held accountable.
Peter could be confronted.
David could be confronted.
Saul could be confronted.
Prophecy could be tested.
Teaching could be examined.
Elders could be disciplined.
Even Paul allowed his preaching to be measured against Scripture.
So yes:
Honor God’s servants.
Pray for pastors.
Respect faithful leaders.
Refuse gossip.
Reject slander.
Don’t celebrate people’s failures.
Don’t attack someone’s family.
Don’t destroy reputations casually.
Don’t confuse personal preference with biblical wrongdoing.
But never allow someone to use:
“Touch not God’s anointed”
to close your Bible, silence legitimate questions, hide genuine sin, or make a human leader spiritually untouchable.
Only One never needs correction.
Only One never teaches error.
There is only One whose motives are always pure.
Only One has never abused authority.
Only One’s words never need to be tested against a higher standard.
His name isJesus.
Every other leader stands beneath Him.
Every pastor.
Every prophet.
Every apostle.
Every bishop.
Every teacher.
Every spiritual father.
Every spiritual mother.
Every one of us.
And genuine honor begins when we stop protecting leaders from accountability and start loving them enough to want them walking faithfully before Christ.
Because accountability is not the enemy of anointing.
Sometimes accountability is one of the very things God uses to protect it.
COMING IN PART 6
Do You Need Your Leader’s Permission to Obey God?
Counsel, Confirmation, and the Voice of Christ
Should Christians seek pastoral counsel?
Absolutely.
Should mature believers help us discern major decisions?
Absolutely.
But what happens when counsel becomes permission?
What happens when someone believes God has called them to ministry but they’re told they cannot move until another person “releases” them?
What happens when a leader claims the authority to determine whom you marry, where you serve, where you attend church, or whether you can pursue what you believe God has called you to do?
In Part 6, we’ll examine Acts 5:29, Acts 13, Acts 17:11, Galatians 1, 1 Corinthians 14, Proverbs, and the New Testament pattern of discernment.
Because mature believers seek counsel.
Mature believers welcome correction.
Mature believers don’t operate independently of Christ’s body.
But ultimately:
No human leader gets to become the Holy Spirit in someone else’s life.
Thoughts from Pastor Toney 