Is It a Sin to Correct a Pastor? | "Touch Not My Anointed"? What the Bible Actually Says

"Touch not My anointed" has been used for generations to end a conversation. But who was God actually speaking to when He said it? Five scenes, three Hebrew words, and one verse we almost never read from the beginning of the sentence. In this study we walk slowly through the passages behind the phrase "the Lord's anointed": David in the cave at En Gedi, David standing over a sleeping Saul with a spear in the ground, the messenger who carried a dead king's crown, and Nathan walking into the throne room with nothing in his hands. Then we open Psalm 105 at verse 12, where the sentence really begins. The claim we test against the text: in Scripture, the title "anointed" protects a person from violence. It never protects a person from correction. We also give the other side its full strength: Miriam and Korah in Numbers, Hebrews 13, and 1 Timothy 5:19. And we end with a warning for those of us who are not wounded, only critical. Scripture is read from the New King James Version. CHAPTERS 0:00 A spear beside a sleeping king 1:27 The claim, and how we'll test it 2:20 What "anointed" means (mashiach) 4:34 Scene 1: The cave at En Gedi (1 Samuel 24) 7:14 Scene 2: The camp at night (1 Samuel 26) 9:36 Scene 3: The man with the crown (2 Samuel 1) 11:30 Scene 4: "You are the man" (2 Samuel 12) 14:00 The strongest case against this reading 16:04 A warning for the critic 16:45 Scene 5: Psalm 105:12-15, the whole sentence 18:43 Who are the anointed in the New Testament? 19:09 If this verse was used to silence you 20:09 If you're not wounded, just critical 21:04 One thing to do this week 21:37 What David did with the spear 22:55 A closing blessing PASSAGES IN THIS STUDY 1 Samuel 10:1 | 1 Samuel 24:4-12 | 1 Samuel 26:8-21 | 2 Samuel 1:14 | 2 Samuel 12:7-13 Numbers 12 and 16 | Hebrews 13:17 | 1 Timothy 5:19-20 | Galatians 2:11 Psalm 105:8-15 | Genesis 20 | 1 John 2:20 HEBREW AND GREEK WORDS mashiach: anointed, smeared with oil shalach yad: to stretch out the hand, an idiom for physical attack shachat: to destroy, to bring to an end naga: to touch, to strike, to harm chrisma: the anointing every believer has A note on method: where the text speaks plainly, we say so. Where scholars disagree, we say that too. Where it's our own reading, we label it, so you can test it yourself, the way the Bereans did (Acts 17:11). If what you witnessed in a church was a crime, please contact the civil authorities. Scripture never asks you to hide that. Do you know someone who went quiet because of this verse? Send them this study. If you were hurt by a leader, watch this next: If You Forgive Them, Must You Let Them BACK In? What the Bible Reveals    • If You Forgive Someone, Do You Have to Let...   More studies like this one:    • Bible Studies - Nobles of Berea   SUBSCRIBE to open the next passage with us:    / @noblesofberea   Have you ever heard Psalm 105:15 used to stop a question? Tell us in the comments what you were taught, and what you see now in the text. And subscribe so you don't miss the next study. #TouchNotMyAnointed #Psalm105 #BibleStudy #1Samuel24