What Does Don't Touch the Lord's Anointed Mean? (You're Probably Wrong)

So I decided I didn’t want peace a few months ago and recorded an Instagram reel stating what you are about to read in this blog. The pushback was jarring, but not unexpected.

A number of people lashed out against me for daring to suggest that men in church leadership should be held accountable for their words and actions. I should point out that the pastors themselves held their tongue, but their members? Warfare!

Out of all the nations that I have had the privilege of visiting, I don’t believe there is any other country in the world where pastors are so highly revered as in Nigeria. I know this is not true for every single pastor in Nigeria, but man, I have visited some denominations where pastors are treated like presidents and kings and any word that comes from their mouth is treated like absolute law.

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard Nigerian Christians utter the phrase, “Do not touch the LORD’s anointed” as an excuse to defend certain preachers from criticism or for tolerating toxic and unhealthy behavior among their church leaders.

Let’s be clear, mindlessly quoting that passage is a recipe for disaster!

So in this post, I want to address the leaders directly, you pastors and ministry leaders. The question we will tackle is this, “How are you exercising the power and authority God has entrusted to you?

By the way, this question applies to you whether you are the General Overseer of your own denomination, a church district supervisor, the pastor of a small church, or a Sunday school teacher. The fact is, each one of you carries a certain amount of power and authority in your sphere of influence, that if not wielded with humility and wisdom, could lead to manipulation and abuse.

One of the former presidents of the United States, Abraham Lincoln is quoted as once saying, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him POWER.”

If you would, allow me in this post to show you the danger that lies ahead if this has been your pattern of operation. We’ll do this by exploring the life of one of the most powerful kings in all of scripture.

This man lived in the 6th century before Jesus. His name was, Nebuchadnezzar, and his story is in the Old Testament book of Daniel. At his juncture in history, the Babylonian empire had risen to prominence and had displaced the Assyrians and Egyptians (before them) to become the dominant world’s #1 superpower. Its ruler and king was Nebuchadnezzar.

It’s at the height of his power that the book of Daniel, chapter 2 tells us that the most powerful man on earth had a restless night due to some God-sent/God-crafted troubling dreams.

Daniel 2:1-3, “In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. 2 So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king, 3 he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.”

From Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams and the interpretation, here is the central thought, the BIG IDEA that we as pastors and ministry need to learn:

NO MATTER HOW POWERFUL AND INFLUENTIAL YOU BECOME, DON’T EVER FORGET THAT YOUR POWER AND AUTHORITY HAS BEEN ENTRUSTED TO YOU BY GOD.

There are three realizations the king had to go through before he finally receives and embraces the truth that His power and glory didn’t originate with him, the same three realizations that you as a pastor and ministry leader will need to be aware of as you wield the power and authority God has entrusted to you.

REALIZATION #1 – YOU’RE NOT AS POWERFUL AS YOU THINK

In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, he saw a gigantic and dazzling statue that was made with different kinds of precious material and some not so precious. The statue’s head was made of pure gold. Its chest and arms were made of silver. It’s belly and thighs were made of bronze. Its legs were made of iron, and its feet were made partly of iron and partly of baked clay.

Below is a 3d recreation of what the king dreamt.

Just so you know, this dream was a symbolic God-sent dream. Since Nebuchadnezzar was the most powerful world leader at the time, God was showing him the successive world kingdoms that would rise to power after his reign.

Later in this chapter, the prophet Daniel is going to explain to Nebuchadnezzar that the head of gold represented the king and his kingdom. In verse 37, Daniel says to him, “Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. 38 He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world and has put even the wild animals and birds under your control. You are the head of gold.”

This part of the dream would have fed Nebuchadnezzar’s pride, because, after all, he WAS the leader of the world’s mightiest monarch at the time. Unfortunately for him, however, that statue in his dream also had “feet that was a combination of iron and baked clay”, and ultimately, Daniel reveals to the king in verse 34 that, “As you watched, a rock was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands. It struck the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits.”

THIS WAS NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S WORST NIGHTMARE.

It’s also why he wakes up in a panic and is deeply troubled because it implied that HE WAS NOT AS POWERFUL AS HE THOUGHT, and that his great empire would soon fail, or that someone in his administration, or another nation was about to come exploit his hidden weaknesses.

This is the story of every pastor/leader who has turned their position of power and authority into an idol. Those whose idol is power want to be perceived as greater, more influential, more successful, and more dominant than everybody else. Hence, their greatest nightmare is humiliation OR THE LOSS OF THAT POWER.

It’s not just about winning for them; it’s about NOT losing. It’s about holding on to power and control, and if that is ever threatened, it results in explosive anger. (You may see this in a pastor who explodes in anger if someone dares to challenge or suggests a new way of doing things).

This is exactly what happens with king Nebuchadnezzar in verse 12. Before Daniel shows up, the king assembled all his wise men to tell him and interpret his dream, but because they couldn’t, he launches into a rage and orders that every wise man in Babylon should be executed! That is clearly an overreaction of an insecure person who worships at the altar of power!

The reason why you and I are not as powerful (and never will be as powerful) as we think we are, is because EVERY power and authority we wield in the church and outside was never ours to begin with!

1 Chronicles 29:12 (TLB) says of God, “Riches and honor come from you alone, and you are the ruler of all mankind; your hand controls power and might, and it is at your discretion that men are made great and given strength.”

You may be the founder of your mega church, you may have grown the church through your preaching style or leadership gifts, but understand this; “Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)

NO MATTER HOW POWERFUL AND INFLUENTIAL YOU BECOME, DON’T EVER FORGET THAT YOUR POWER AND AUTHORITY HAS BEEN ENTRUSTED TO YOU BY GOD.

REALIZATION #2 – YOUR POWER IS FOR A SEASON

One of the more important aspects of this dream is that it shows that no one kingdom remains in power forever! Let me read to you from verse 39-45 how Daniel interprets the dream’s meaning. Remember, the statue started with a head of gold that represents Nebuchadnezzar’s vast kingdom.

“39 “But after your kingdom comes to an end, another kingdom (made of silver), inferior to yours, will rise to take your place. After that kingdom has fallen, yet a third kingdom, represented by bronze, will rise to rule the world. 40 Following that kingdom, there will be a fourth one, as strong as iron. That kingdom will smash and crush all previous empires, just as iron smashes and crushes everything it strikes. 41 The feet and toes you saw were a combination of iron and baked clay, showing that this kingdom will be divided. Like iron mixed with clay, it will have some of the strength of iron. 42 But while some parts of it will be as strong as iron, other parts will be as weak as clay. 43 This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage. But they will not hold together, just as iron and clay do not mix. 44 “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. 45 That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain, though not by human hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain.”

God is doing several things here. For one, He is prophetically and symbolically revealing all the kingdoms of the world that will come to power until the day Jesus returns and establishes His kingdom. That rock at the end that crushes all the other kingdoms and becomes a mountain in Jesus’ kingdom that He will establish in our future.

So, future-wise, the dream is prophetic; but in its more immediate context, this dream was intended as a call to humility for Nebuchadnezzar! It was designed to show king Nebuchadnezzar that all the power and control he believes he worked so hard to get would only be for a season. In the end, all human kingdoms and government crumble.

That was true then. It’s still true today. No ONE empire, nation, king, dictator, or president remains in power forever.

There was a time in history when the Egyptians were the world’s preeminent power, but eventually, Pharaohs died and their power and influenced declined. Then there were the Assyrians, then the Greeks, and the Romans, and the Spanish empire.

Do you know what all these powerful empires and kingdoms have in common today? They either disappeared or lost global power and influence! Has anyone in here had a business appointment or conference meeting with a Hittite? Nope! Not here anymore!

Nebuchadnezzar was being told through this dream that there is ONE supreme God; YAHWEH, and He is THE sovereign judge to whom Nebuchadnezzar was accountable to for how he wielded his power.

This dream is a warning to all of us whose idol is power. There is a countdown clock on your reign; that is inevitable, whether you are a godly leader or a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Your time in power will ultimately come to an end.

The question is, have you faithfully and responsibly used that power and authority entrusted to you to serve the God who gave it to you?

• Did you treat those men and women God entrusted to you with loving care and compassion?

• Did you encourage the spiritual gifts God gave them and call out the best in them?

• Or did you use them as your own personal labor force to build your kingdom?

Listen, no matter how long you have been in power, your time is short, and you will soon be called to give an account to Jesus Christ for how you managed the power and authority entrusted to you. James 3:1 says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”

That should give every man and woman in the pulpit a holy moment of pause. The goal here isn’t for you to run and quit out of fear of judgment, but rather to carefully weigh every word you proclaim is from God and to wield with reverence the authority and power God has entrusted to you.

NO MATTER HOW POWERFUL AND INFLUENTIAL YOU BECOME, DON’T EVER FORGET THAT YOUR POWER AND AUTHORITY HAS BEEN ENTRUSTED TO YOU BY GOD.

REALIZATION #3 – YOUR POWER CAN BE TAKEN OR RESTORED AT GOD’S DISCRETION.

It would seem on the surface that Nebuchadnezzar got this message.

In Daniel 2:46-47, he appears to be so humbled by the fact that Daniel not only knew his dream, but had an interpretation. He even falls prostrate before Daniel and acknowledges that Daniel’s God is truly “…the God of Gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries” and promotes Daniel.

But it appears it was just temporary humility. I say this so because the very first verse in the next chapter (Daniel 3), it says, “King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.” Then he issues an edict that at the sound of national choir, all “People of all races and nations and languages” are to bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue.

Make no mistake about it, this massive statue that he built was inspired BY the king’s dream in chapter two. In chapter 2, only the head of the statue in his dream was gold, but in this chapter (3), Nebuchadnezzar has commissioned that the ENTIRE this 90-feet statue should made of gold!

It is as if he has completely forgotten or ignored what God showed him in his dream and has decided he wants to be the greatest king forevermore (and there would no other kingdoms after his)!

I feel like this is how many leaders within the church in Nigeria act today. They forcefully remain in positions of authority and power long after God has removed His hand from their life and appointed someone else to step into their position. This is the same thing that king Saul did after God rejected him and chose David to lead Israel.

Nebuchadnezzar is still refusing to accept the idea that HIS POWER AND AUTHORITY HAD BEEN ENTRUSTED TO HIM BY GOD.

It’s for this reason that God sends him a last warning in chapter 4 through another dream. In this second dream, God shows the king a vision of a massive tree that provided food and shade for the whole earth (an illustration of the power and influence God had entrusted to Him).

But then, an angel comes down from heaven and declares that the tree should be cut down, its branches broken off and its leaves and fruit scattered. Yet, its “stump and its root” are to be securely kept in place with iron and bronze.

And then the angel explains that the tree is actually the king himself, and in verse 15b he says, “Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth. 16 Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven times pass by for him.”

When you read the rest of this story in Daniel 4, you come to understand that God was warning Nebuchadnezzar that if he continued to abuse his power, God himself would dramatically strip him of that power.

Well, the king chose the path of stubbornness and rebellion and here is what happened twelve months later. Daniel 4:30 says the king was on going for a walk on the roof of his royal palace, admiring his kingdom and saying to himself, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”

Verse 31 (NLT) says, “31 “While these words were still in his mouth, a voice called down from heaven, ‘O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom. 32 You will be driven from human society. You will live in the fields with the wild animals, and you will eat grass like a cow. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses. That same hour the judgment was fulfilled, and Nebuchadnezzar was driven from human society. He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven. He lived this way until his hair was as long as eagles’ feathers and his nails were like birds’ claws.”

One of the greatest ironies of sin is that when we humans try to become gods, we become lower than human beings. To be your own god and to live for your own glory and power leads to the most bestial and cruel kind of behavior. Pride transforms you from person to predator.

Fortunately for the king, and true to God’s word, when “seven years” had passed, Nebuchadnezzar’s sanity was restored to him. He had truly been humbled, and he truly worshipped God. Verse 36 says, “When my sanity returned to me, so did my honor and glory and kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored as head of my kingdom, with even greater honor than before.”

So, pastors, let’s go back to the question we began with: How have you been exercising the power and authority God has entrusted to you? Have you been treating the church of Jesus Christ as His bride, or as your personal labor force?

Let me give you some very practical tips on how you can wield your power and authority with humility and reverence for God:

• READ ABOUT, LEARN FROM, AND STUDY PEOPLE WHO DEMONSTRATE HUMILITY (The truth is that we all learn by example. Are there men or women in leadership who demonstrate Christlike humility, what can you learn from the)

• PRACTICE BEING INTERESTED RATHER THAN BEING INTERESTING (This is all about listening. When God blesses a leader and the ministry grows, we may begin to believe that our skill and our insight is what made the organization grow; but the truth is that God has brought people on your team who know things you don’t know. Focus more on listening and learning rather than just sharing your opinions)

• INCLUDE OTHERS IN THE PROCESS (One of the more impactful leadership lessons I learned early in ministry was to bring others along with me; not only physically, but also in developing vision. Once again, God designed the church to operate as a body, which is why the brain can’t claim he runs the whole show. The body needs the input of the liver, the toes, and your hips. Allow room for others on your team to dream too).

• SOLICIT INPUT FROM OTHERS (This is the same as the last to; the difference is that rather than wait for them to give input, YOU initiate the process).

• MAKE IT A BIG DEAL WHEN OTHERS DO WELL (This communicates how much you value them, and it creates loyalty to the organization and to you. Be generous with words of affirmation, thank you notes, gifts if you can afford it, and direct feedback)

• TAKE THE BLAME QUICKER THAN THE CREDIT (Listen, when your church and organization does well, give credit to your team. When it doesn’t a good leader is willing to take the blame).

• TREAT EVERYONE WITH RESPECT REGARDLESS OF WHO THEY ARE (how you treat the lowest ranking person in your organization says a lot about your character)

• MAINTAIN AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE (be more thankful for your wins)

These are just a few practical ways for you to honor God with the power and authority entrusted to you; knowing full well that on the day of accountability when you stand in the presence of His blazing glory, you will hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' (Matthew 25:21)

May God bless you richly, in every way as you do!