Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
God set His covenant care around Abraham's small wandering family among the nations, shielding them from injury, reproving kings who threatened them and showing that to harm them was dangerous. To call them anointed and prophets means they were set apart as His faithful servants and accepted ministers, and everyone who gives self to Jesus to work with God is sacred to His heart. He forbids anyone to touch or harm them by making their way hard and trying, claiming as His own all who draw near in humble trusting faith, remembering wrongs done to them as wounds to His own hand and avenging His children. This is Christ's voice forbidding religious persecution of His chosen saints, including those who differ in conscience and obey God's law, by forcing the conscience, compelling worship contrary to His Word, and injuring them by false witness, imprisonment, fetters and death. It especially requires that no one usurp authority to hurt and bruise the souls of ministers and workers God has appointed and sent, but guard their character, keep their faults in the smallest circle, and heal and strengthen them when they confess a mistake rather than expose, censure or triumph over them.
Context and Meaning
Psalm 105, together with Psalm 106, recounts Israel's history and is to be studied as a record of God's goodness, mercy, and love. It records lessons from Israel's experience that provide warnings. Those warning lessons are what God's people in the last days especially need to study. The verse belongs to that history of God's covenant care for the small, wandering family of Abraham among other nations.
God protected Abraham in his dealings with other peoples and reproved kings who threatened them. After Pharaoh threatened Sarah, God's warning and reproof showed that harming Abraham was dangerous. In this way God avenged injuries done to His chosen servants and prophets and protected them from harm. Calling them His anointed and prophets identifies them as people set apart under His covenant care, whom others are warned not to injure.
They are His faithful servants and accepted ministers. Every man or woman who gives self to Jesus and uses entrusted ability as a fellow worker with God is sacred to Christ's heart, and Christ identifies His interests with them in a special way. Faithful workers who have borne heavy burdens, like Brother and Sister Haskell, are therefore to be treated with tenderness and esteem, and their apparent mistakes are not to be dwelt on except as a lesson for personal improvement. Accepted ministers are to guard one another's character, keep a minister's faults from needless exposure, and avoid conduct that undermines confidence in those carrying forward God's work. To touch His anointed and harm His prophets means to make their way hard and trying.
God's Protective Care
God suffers no one to do His anointed servants and prophets wrong, but reproves even kings for their sake and commands that they be left untouched and unharmed. He claims as His own those who draw near to Him with humble, trusting faith and spreads His keeping care over them, and that care gives them confidence in His power and victory through faith. His anointed are those walking in the light of His commandments, very precious in His sight and heirs of salvation. They are ministered to by angels who excel in wisdom and strength and in all efficiency for judgment or mercy.
To harm His chosen servants is like wounding His own hand. He may bear patiently with unjust treatment for a time, but He remembers the wrongs done to them and will avenge His children. In proportion as men have caused pain to others they themselves will suffer in return, be punished, and perish.
The command is the voice of Christ forbidding religious persecution and forbidding laying hands on His anointed and injuring His prophets. His anointed and prophets are His chosen ones and saints, including those who conscientiously differ in faith, who worship God according to conscience and obey the law He commanded all to obey. It forbids forcing the conscience of fellow men and pressuring them to observe rites that have no foundation in the Word of God. It is broken when men bear false witness against them, bruise their limbs with fetters, burn them at the stake, and threaten them with prisons, chain-gangs and stocks to compel them to transgress God's law and worship a false sabbath.
Doing this is a terrible thing, not inspired by the Lord but by another spirit. To cause pain to human beings in the spirit of Satan and to persecute shows that Christ is not abiding in the heart, and those who do so bear the attributes of Satan as his instruments bearing witness against God's chosen. In the last days Satan will use all his powers against God's people to afflict, distress and discourage them and cause them all the trouble he possibly can. Those who know the truth and yet unite with Satan in that work of afflicting them have lost their spiritual anointing, are blinded by the sophistry of the enemy so they cannot see afar off, and have forgotten that they were purged from their old sins.
Respect for His Servants
The command lays special protection around ministers and all on whom God has placed responsibilities, forbidding any wrong against His anointed servants and prophets and even reproving kings for their sake that they be left untouched and unharmed. No man, including presidents of conferences or any brother who imagines he has authority, may usurp authority over brethren to hurt and bruise the souls of God's workers, for such action is prompted by a power from beneath and not inspired by the Lord but by another spirit. To touch the anointed and harm the prophets means to make their way hard and trying, and to do this is a terrible thing requiring great care in how to move toward them. In light of Christ's infinite sacrifice to redeem fallen and sinful people from Satan's oppressive power, fellow laborers are to be pitied and helped instead of injured.
The warning bears against harming or opposing those God has appointed and sent with light and truth, especially when they give reproof and warning, and to treat them cruelly or to turn others away from their message is a serious offense. It requires guarding one another's character, keeping a minister's faults and apparent mistakes within as small a circle as possible and not dwelling on them except as a lesson for personal improvement. Faithful workers who have borne heavy burdens, such as Brother and Sister Haskell, are to be treated with tenderness, esteem, love and confidence rather than needless exposure and censure. Such exposure weakens faith and courage and undermines confidence in those carrying forward God's work.
When God's chosen messengers have made and acknowledged a mistake, they are to be supported, encouraged, healed and strengthened rather than criticized, belittled, or treated as objects of triumph. The same respect belongs to faithful Adventist pioneers who have died and to responsible workers still living, whose labor and influence are not to be belittled or discredited. This is not to claim they are infallible, for they may err, and when they confess their mistakes the Lord forgives them. Boasting, sneering at sacred things, and conceited conduct toward those God loves are forbidden, and they are to be honored with the meekness and lowliness of Christ. Those who attack or belittle such workers show a spirit apart from Jesus, while every man or woman who gives self to Jesus and uses entrusted ability as a fellow worker with God is sacred to Christ's heart, with whom Christ identifies His interests in a special way and whom He protects from harm.
The verse is to be appropriated to individual experience to increase faith and not let it diminish. It calls to hold fast to the One promised to be strength and front guard and rearward, and to trust not in man nor in the arm of flesh. It calls to thank the Lord for His Word and for His goodness and mercy and wonderful works, holding His Word as a stronghold.
God set His covenant care around Abraham's small wandering family among the nations, shielding them from injury, reproving kings who threatened them and showing that to harm them was dangerous.
To call them anointed and prophets means they were set apart as His faithful servants and accepted ministers, and everyone who gives self to Jesus to work with God is sacred to His heart.
He forbids anyone to touch or harm them by making their way hard and trying, claiming as His own all who draw near in humble trusting faith, remembering wrongs done to them as wounds to His own hand and avenging His children.
This is Christ's voice forbidding religious persecution of His chosen saints, including those who differ in conscience and obey God's law, by forcing the conscience, compelling worship contrary to His Word, and injuring them by false witness, imprisonment, fetters and death.
It especially requires that no one usurp authority to hurt and bruise the souls of ministers and workers God has appointed and sent, but guard their character, keep their faults in the smallest circle, and heal and strengthen them when they confess a mistake rather than expose, censure or triumph over them.
Context and Meaning
Psalm 105, together with Psalm 106, recounts Israel's history and is to be studied as a record of God's goodness, mercy, and love. It records lessons from Israel's experience that provide warnings. Those warning lessons are what God's people in the last days especially need to study. The verse belongs to that history of God's covenant care for the small, wandering family of Abraham among other nations.
God protected Abraham in his dealings with other peoples and reproved kings who threatened them. After Pharaoh threatened Sarah, God's warning and reproof showed that harming Abraham was dangerous. In this way God avenged injuries done to His chosen servants and prophets and protected them from harm. Calling them His anointed and prophets identifies them as people set apart under His covenant care, whom others are warned not to injure.
They are His faithful servants and accepted ministers. Every man or woman who gives self to Jesus and uses entrusted ability as a fellow worker with God is sacred to Christ's heart, and Christ identifies His interests with them in a special way. Faithful workers who have borne heavy burdens, like Brother and Sister Haskell, are therefore to be treated with tenderness and esteem, and their apparent mistakes are not to be dwelt on except as a lesson for personal improvement. Accepted ministers are to guard one another's character, keep a minister's faults from needless exposure, and avoid conduct that undermines confidence in those carrying forward God's work. To touch His anointed and harm His prophets means to make their way hard and trying.
God's Protective Care
God suffers no one to do His anointed servants and prophets wrong, but reproves even kings for their sake and commands that they be left untouched and unharmed. He claims as His own those who draw near to Him with humble, trusting faith and spreads His keeping care over them, and that care gives them confidence in His power and victory through faith. His anointed are those walking in the light of His commandments, very precious in His sight and heirs of salvation. They are ministered to by angels who excel in wisdom and strength and in all efficiency for judgment or mercy.
To harm His chosen servants is like wounding His own hand. He may bear patiently with unjust treatment for a time, but He remembers the wrongs done to them and will avenge His children. In proportion as men have caused pain to others they themselves will suffer in return, be punished, and perish.
The command is the voice of Christ forbidding religious persecution and forbidding laying hands on His anointed and injuring His prophets. His anointed and prophets are His chosen ones and saints, including those who conscientiously differ in faith, who worship God according to conscience and obey the law He commanded all to obey. It forbids forcing the conscience of fellow men and pressuring them to observe rites that have no foundation in the Word of God. It is broken when men bear false witness against them, bruise their limbs with fetters, burn them at the stake, and threaten them with prisons, chain-gangs and stocks to compel them to transgress God's law and worship a false sabbath.
Doing this is a terrible thing, not inspired by the Lord but by another spirit. To cause pain to human beings in the spirit of Satan and to persecute shows that Christ is not abiding in the heart, and those who do so bear the attributes of Satan as his instruments bearing witness against God's chosen. In the last days Satan will use all his powers against God's people to afflict, distress and discourage them and cause them all the trouble he possibly can. Those who know the truth and yet unite with Satan in that work of afflicting them have lost their spiritual anointing, are blinded by the sophistry of the enemy so they cannot see afar off, and have forgotten that they were purged from their old sins.
Respect for His Servants
The command lays special protection around ministers and all on whom God has placed responsibilities, forbidding any wrong against His anointed servants and prophets and even reproving kings for their sake that they be left untouched and unharmed. No man, including presidents of conferences or any brother who imagines he has authority, may usurp authority over brethren to hurt and bruise the souls of God's workers, for such action is prompted by a power from beneath and not inspired by the Lord but by another spirit. To touch the anointed and harm the prophets means to make their way hard and trying, and to do this is a terrible thing requiring great care in how to move toward them. In light of Christ's infinite sacrifice to redeem fallen and sinful people from Satan's oppressive power, fellow laborers are to be pitied and helped instead of injured.
The warning bears against harming or opposing those God has appointed and sent with light and truth, especially when they give reproof and warning, and to treat them cruelly or to turn others away from their message is a serious offense. It requires guarding one another's character, keeping a minister's faults and apparent mistakes within as small a circle as possible and not dwelling on them except as a lesson for personal improvement. Faithful workers who have borne heavy burdens, such as Brother and Sister Haskell, are to be treated with tenderness, esteem, love and confidence rather than needless exposure and censure. Such exposure weakens faith and courage and undermines confidence in those carrying forward God's work.
When God's chosen messengers have made and acknowledged a mistake, they are to be supported, encouraged, healed and strengthened rather than criticized, belittled, or treated as objects of triumph. The same respect belongs to faithful Adventist pioneers who have died and to responsible workers still living, whose labor and influence are not to be belittled or discredited. This is not to claim they are infallible, for they may err, and when they confess their mistakes the Lord forgives them. Boasting, sneering at sacred things, and conceited conduct toward those God loves are forbidden, and they are to be honored with the meekness and lowliness of Christ. Those who attack or belittle such workers show a spirit apart from Jesus, while every man or woman who gives self to Jesus and uses entrusted ability as a fellow worker with God is sacred to Christ's heart, with whom Christ identifies His interests in a special way and whom He protects from harm.
The verse is to be appropriated to individual experience to increase faith and not let it diminish. It calls to hold fast to the One promised to be strength and front guard and rearward, and to trust not in man nor in the arm of flesh. It calls to thank the Lord for His Word and for His goodness and mercy and wonderful works, holding His Word as a stronghold.