saying, “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!”
God is speaking about a small group of wandering families. He does not address them. He warns the kings whose lands they crossed. Two questions follow. Who are these "anointed" and "prophets," and does the warning still stand over God's people today?
Who the Anointed and the Prophets Are
The verse looks back to Abraham and the wandering family that came from him. One writer explains why God gives such men the title of prophet:
William KellyAgain, let us take the patriarchs, whom Scripture plainly calls prophets… The same principle explains their claim to this title. They were the interpreters of the mind of God at that time. God "called out" these men because a new and terrible evil had come into the world — idolatry. We never read of it before the days of Abraham.
Why They Needed Such a Guard
God had promised a whole land to a handful of people who owned none of it.
Hamilton SmithGod promised the land to Israel at a time when, to human eyes, it looked impossible to keep. The people who received the promise were few in number and strangers in the land. Still, they were under the constant care of the Lord. They went from one nation to another and from kingdom to kingdom, but no one wronged them without coming under God's rebuke.
Protection Rooted in Grace, Not in Merit
Their safety did not rest on what they deserved. One writer sets this promise beside the covenant made later at Sinai:
Henri L. RossierThis is a covenant of pure grace. It rests on God's faithfulness to His promises. The covenant of Sinai was different: it rested on the people's responsibility… We do not find a single word here about the nations oppressing Israel because Israel disobeyed. All is free grace in this passage.
God Defends His Own Even When They Fail
God may have a quarrel of His own with how His child is living. It does not stop Him defending that child:
C. H. MackintoshThis is how God acts. He may have many a private dispute with His child about the way he lives. But the moment the enemy brings a case against him, the Lord always pleads His servant's cause. "Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!" "He who touches you touches the apple of My eye."
Another writer adds what God made known by acting this way:
J. N. DarbyGod shows that no one may touch His people on earth and go unpunished. He would show Himself careful of those He owned in this way. By this He became known in connection with His people, and that was of the greatest importance.
A Warning Kings Have Ignored
A thousand years later the same word still stood over kings:
C KnappJeroboam had forgotten, or ignored, a rebuke God gave to kings almost a thousand years before. It said: "Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!" (Ps. 105:14-15).
A Verse Often Misapplied
People quote this verse to stop others from speaking up about evil. One writer answers:
The Christian's FriendI have heard this passage quoted: "Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!" (Ps. 105:15.)… I hardly need to say that this twists Scripture. I may seek to walk apart from evil. I may seek to stir the conscience about it where the evil is plain. Or, failing that, I may separate myself from it. None of this does harm to any of the Lord's "prophets." It is the very opposite — it is a blessing to them all. God did not address these words to the Lord's people. He addressed them to the nations, as the context will show. That is another reason why they do not apply.
How It Reads in Our Own Day
Does the fence still stand today? One writer says God often lets the wrong go for now:
William KellyNow He may let any or all men do them wrong. For the present He may rebuke no one: not kings, not subjects, not servants. They may despise His anointed and do His servants all the harm they can. Another day He will repay each one according to his works.
Summary
- Called — the "prophets" here are the patriarchs. God called them out to hold His mind before a world sliding into idol worship.
- Covered — they were few and owned no land, and it made no difference. Their safety rested on a covenant of pure grace, not on anything they deserved.
- Claimed — God may disapprove of how His child lives and still plead his cause the moment an enemy attacks.
- Corrected — God spoke these words to the nations, not to His own people. Naming plain evil harms none of the Lord's "prophets."
- Coming — today He may let men harm His servants and say nothing. Another day He will repay each person according to his works.