Touch Not God’s Anointed.
Maybe the title should also include “Or his wallet”, but I digress. Before I get into it too far let me first define who exactly is God’s anointed. To be God’s anointed one has to be approved of and chosen by God. The word anoint is defined in a religious context as
2. b. “to choose by or as if by divine election”. Merriam-Webster
When it’s God’s, as in ownership, the divine election and choosing belongs to Him. Today we see the word “Anointed” thrown around so loosely and carelessly it’s as if anointing no longer belongs to God and we decide who is anointed and for what purpose.
Anointing the Kings and Priests and Prophets in the Old Testament usually required oil. In fact, I can’t think of one where oil wasn’t used though there might be a case. The person being anointed whether secular king or holy priest God chose them and called on someone to anoint them. For example look at the anointing of king Saul in 1st Samuel 10 verse 1;
“Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? “
Before the reign of Saul was complete God told Samuel to anoint David as king of His people. In 1st Samuel 16: verse 1;
The Lord said to Samuel, “How long do you intend to mourn for Saul? I have rejected him as king over Israel. Fill your horn with olive oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem, for I have selected a king for myself from among his sons.”
I choose these two examples for a purpose in this article. It’s important to know who does the choosing for anointing and why and also how that anointing is done. And I will compare these examples to how God anoints people today. And He does no doubt. Whether or not there is an extant anointing is really not debatable, but who does the choosing and how and for what purpose and unction, or ritual, is being performed today.
Is it still true and valid and holy to not touch God’s anointed? It sure is. The debate lies in what we mean by “Touch”. Look at the example of David. He had already been chosen by God to be king over Israel yet Saul was still living and reigning. Long before David was anointed king his father Saul was already anointed by God through the same prophet who had anointed him, Samuel. David understood his place and understood God was the one to choose and the one to decide when it was appropriate for David to take the throne. 1st Samuel chapter 24 gives us the Biblical example of what “touching” God’s anointed means. In this chapter David has the perfect opportunity to kill Saul and take the throne. David’s men try to convinced him God had given Saul to him that day and he should take advantage of it. In verse 10 we read this;
“Look, this day your eyes have seen that the LORD delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD’s anointed.”
By the end of the chapter Saul is admitting he was doing evil and David was being righteous. This chapter gives us a clear understanding of what “touching God’s anointed” means. David had cut off a piece of the king’s robe while he slept, he rebuked king Saul for his actions against him, but he would not touch or lay hands on king Saul to harm him even though he knew he himself was anointed to be king to replace Saul. Why? What help him back? His own words tell us why “For he is God’s anointed”! And this example tells us what the context and meaning of touching God’s anointed means. It doesn’t mean we can’t rebuke them when they are wrong, or that we can’t take a stand for what is righteous regardless of what they say or do. We are shown it’s more about respecting God’s sovereign authority and doing right in His eyes regardless of what we might want. This is just one of the examples of why we are told David was a man after God’s own heart.
Moving forward to our time. When we are told that folks like Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Paula White, Andrew Wommack and so on are God’s “Anointed” and we shouldn’t touch them what should our response be? When I have been told I shouldn’t be touching these people because of their anointing I am amused and usually laugh it off. It’s hard to explain to the hard of hearing that pointing out false teachings and deadly doctrines of greed and selfish power is not touching God’s anointed and in fact it is the duty of all of God’s anointed to do just that and defend the faith. David stood firm and refused to touch king Saul because it was right. But David did not keep quiet and keep the truth of the evil his king and father had done to him. David knew in due time God would make things right because He had after all anointed him to be king.
So let’s take a look at who God’s anointed is today. The first one to mention is The Christ which means “Anointed One”. There was one Anointed one promised to the people through Moses that God would raise up a prophet like him and the people would hear Him. In Acts 2:36 Peter said this of Jesus;
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
Jesus is “The Anointed One” and there is no other promised to come for us to hear. Jesus read of Himself from Isaiah in the synagogue in Luke chapter 4 verse 18;
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:7, Luke 9:35 “This is My beloved Son, Hear Him”.
We can see from scripture when we talk about “The Anointed” there’s only one and He’s sitting on the right hand of the Father and not preaching on TV and You Tube preaching a false prosperity gospel and warning people to not “touch God’s anointed”.
Who else is anointed? There’s several scriptural verses I could use but I believe 1 John chapter 2 is sufficient and explains who is anointed and the “oil” or unction used for the anointing. 1 John 2:20 through 27;
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the
Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.
These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
Verse 20 points out we have an anointing from the Holy One, which is the Holy Spirit which all Christians were promised to dwell in them. We read in 1 Corinthians 1: 21 through 22;
Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
We see then ALL Christians are “the anointed” of God. All who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Galatians 3:27. Christ being “The Anointed One”. He who establishes us in Christ is God who anointed us with the Spirit! The shadow was oil, the True is the Holy Spirit.
Of course we are not to touch God’s anointed to do them harm physically or spiritually. We should not repay evil with evil or argue just for the sake of argument. We should also not allow false prophets, false teachers, charlatans, and snake oil salesmen using the name of Christ lead people into destruction either. If we do not condemn those false “Christs”, or false “The Anointed” and proclaim the truth to them we are harming them and touching them spiritually. I admit they make me angry. “Be angry but do not sin”. Ephesians 4:26. In a way these mockers of Christ are being used for good. I study more, I concentrate more on sound biblical doctrine and I tell others to avoid these charlatans while using the scriptures as my guide. All the while knowing this and such articles like it are not necessarily used to convert the alien or teach the young how to become God’s anointed. I want to reach out to those who are caught up in the Word of Faith doctrine, the Joel Osteen feel good inspirational motivational sermons for the weak in faith. These people are NOT “The Anointed” and in fact I would say they are Not Christian. Run from these people and their ministries! To wrap this up, I’ll leave a small clip of the kind of “sermon” these people preach to keep their following in line and afraid to speak out.