Touch Not My Anointed? - by Michelle Lesley

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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There's a lot of bad teaching here. Ms. Lesley misrepresents anointing, leaves out crucial facts, and completely omits the Holy Spirit's role in setting apart people for His purposes.

And a critical junctures her documentation completely disappears. Frankly, it reads like Ms. Lesley simply copied the major points of some Bible teacher that she agreed with.

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“Never challenge or speak out against God’s anointed,” I recently read in a book for Christian women. (Reference?)

Have you ever heard someone say this? Is it biblical? Who are “God’s anointed”? Why should we never challenge or speak out against them? What does it mean to be “anointed” anyway?

This is just one more of the many dangerous false teachings coming out of the Word of Faith and New Apostolic Reformation heresies. It is an adulteration of Psalm 105:15/1 Chronicles 16:22 (same text), saying, “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!” PSALM 105:15 / 1 CHRONICLES 16:22 (Is this true? We can only base our response on Ms. Lesley's characterization. Perhaps the NAR instead derives this idea [if indeed the NAR even has this idea] from here: 

1Sa. 24:5-6 Afterwards, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 6 He said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD.”

When David said this he was not describing why he didn't criticize Saul, but rather why he didn't kill him. So we agree that being anointed does not insulate someone from criticism. But simply because we agree with Ms. Lesley on this point doesn't mean that she gets a pass on her errant teaching.

Again, we can only rely on what Ms. Lesley tells us. Frankly, we don't know anyone who has actually taught that not touching the Lord's anointed means to not criticize pastors, except this from Benny Hinn. We did quite a bit of searching for some NAR - type teacher that advocates this but couldn't find any.

Is it a common teaching? Unknown. Ms. Lesley never tells us who teaches it.)

The phrase “touch not My anointed” is lifted out of context and imbued with the meaning “never criticize, correct, or rebuke the pastor.” Unfortunately, churches that wield this false teaching like a weapon usually do so because they are pastored by a false teacher who needs to be (or is being) biblically criticized, corrected, or rebuked.

The context of Psalm 105/1 Chronicles 16 makes it obvious that this is not what this verse means, even in the Old Testament, as anyone who takes the trouble to read the whole chapter can clearly see. This verse is about God protecting the Israelites from oppression by foreign kings when they were wandering in the wilderness. “Touch not My anointed ones” and “do my prophets no harm” is a warning to pagan nations to leave God’s people – all of them, the common people as well as the prophets – alone during the Exodus.

This has nothing whatsoever to do with New Testament churches and the idea that one should never challenge or speak out against a pastor. (Bare denial.)

Pastors are only “anointed” today in the same sense that every believer is “anointed.” (Bare assertion. This is one of her key rebuttal points, and not documented.)

In the Bible, “anoint” simply means to apply oil or another substance (Luke 7:38, John 9:6) to a body part (your own or someone else’s). In the Old Testament, one of the occasions for applying oil was in ceremonies to consecrate – set apart – someone (or something: Genesis 31:13, Exodus 29:36) for a particular purpose. For example, David was anointed with oil when God set him apart as king. All Old Testament priests were anointed with oil. Elisha the prophet was anointed with oil.

But we do not see this in the New Testament. (Argument From Silence. But Ms. Lesley is incorrect, in fact:

Ac. 6:6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

Ac. 13:2 While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

The placing of hands is nearly synonymous with anointing oil. And anointing oil may have been employed, but the Bible doesn't say so. One cannot argue from what is not written. Clearly, the setting apart of people directly represents the anointing.)

No one is anointed with oil as part of a consecration ceremony. (Argument From Silence. And what is a "consecration ceremony?" Where do we find that phrase in the Bible?)

In the New Testament, the verses containing the word “anoint” fall into one of three categories: medicinal/hygienic application of oil and other substances, references to Jesus as the “Anointed One” (Messiah), and two passages (2 Corinthians 1:21-22, 1 John 2:20,27) speaking of all Christians as being allegorically (???)

“anointed”: set apart as God’s special people (the same way Psalm 105/1 Chronicles 16 talk about the Israelites as God’s special, set apart people). (Actually, there are different Greek words for anointing, and those usages cross her categories. For example, chrisma is a word used only by John in his first letter:

1Jn. 2:20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One... 

Chrió, a related word, is used in 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 and other places, and it refers both to Jesus and to believers being set apart.

Aleipho always refers to the physical application of oil or perfume:

Ja. 5:14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 

Mk. 6:13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. 

Jn. 12:3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair.

And completely missing from Ms. Lesley's presentation is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit sets apart believers. He is the anointing, in fact:

Ac. 8:17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

And also, she neglects the impartation of spiritual gifts:

1Ti. 4:14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

This is typical superficiality from Ms. Lesley, who is content to simply regurgitate what she has read without taking the time to actually study the issue in some depth.) 

The only individual in the New Testament who was anointed – literally or allegorically – in the Old Testament, ceremonial, consecrated sense is Jesus. (As we have seen, this is spectacularly false.)

Why? Because He fulfills all three of those Old Testament “anointed” positions: prophet, priest, and king. He is the final prophet, the Great High Priest, and the eternal King.

Therefore, no New Testament believers are “anointed” to any position (Now she is flat-out lying.)

but we are all spiritually anointed – set apart to and for Christ as His special possession. We are to submit to our pastors and elders (Hebrews 13:17) insofar as they teach and obey God’s written Word (1 Timothy 5:19-20, Acts 5:29), but “never challenge or speak out against God’s anointed”? Only if the Anointed One you’re talking about is Jesus.