I think it is safe to say that we live in an era where our Men of God are regarded as demigods.
They do and say whatever they want, with little regards for whom it may affect. When anyone tries to say anything, the followers of these preachers are quick to remind that person of a popular, often misused Bible verse, which states, "Touch not my anointed and do my prophets no harm."
It is important to note that this is mentioned twice in the Bible; 1 Chronicles 16:22 and Psalm 105:15, which both read, "Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm."
Today, music minister and OAP, Tomiwa Immanuel, has started a much needed conversation concerning this.
Using his Twitter account, he started with this, "Touch not my anointed and do my prophets no harm..." What does it really mean? Who is it referring to? LetsOpenTheBible"
Moving on, he wrote, "This thread is to establish healthy relationship dynamics between Christians and our Pastors for the sake of our future as one body."
The thread continued with these tweets: "Today we have a problem in the church. We have placed many men of God in a zone where they cannot be corrected or checked."
"We have misunderstood the concept of accountability and what it helps with in the life of a man, Pastor or not. We have kept quiet."
"Listen: A MAN OF GOD IS STILL A MAN, SUBJECT TO LIKE PASSIONS AS EVERYONE ELSE. Stop idolizing Pastors. It doesn't help them at all."
"Now I know someone is already saying "touch not my anointed..." let's visit that passage with context in mind."
"These are the two places where it's found. 1 Chronicles 16:21-22 Psalms 105:14-15 Start from the top and read down."
"That passage wasn't talking necessarily about elected or chosen spiritual leaders, but the children of God as a whole!"
"But yes, God is against people challenging the authority of spiritual leaders because that means challenging His authority. Evidence below"
He ended the thread with these words, "God will not strike you if you say "Err Pastor, you might be wrong there o" And then y'all study together and commune."
"We are all responsible for one another. We must all help one another. Pastor, member, new convert, all join. Bless up fam."
Immanuel took the words right out of my mouth.
Hebrews 5:14 says, "But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."
This means we have the ability to tell good from bad, meaning we can tell when a 'Man of God' says or does something that is not right with the scriptures. It also means we can correct them and keep them accountable.
In conclusion, we are all anointed, so this verse applies to all of us, not just religious leaders.