ESOCS Devotional 11 May 2026 – Touch Not My Anointed, Or …
MEMORY VERSE: “Not one of these plotters from Anathoth will survive, for I will bring disaster upon them when their time of punishment comes.” Jeremiah 11:23 NLT
TEXT: JEREMIAH 11:18-20
Now the Lord gave me knowledge of it, and I know it; for You showed me their doings. 19 But I was like a docile lamb brought to the slaughter; and I did not know that they had devised schemes against me, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.”
20 But, O Lord of hosts,
You who judge righteously,
Testing the mind and the heart,
Let me see Your vengeance on them,
For to You I have revealed my cause.
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In Genesis 20:2-7, we see a case between Abraham (God’s anointed), and Abimelech (King of Gerar). In this case, the king attempted to snatch Abraham’s wife, and God threatened to kill him, if he did that.
Biblically, the phrase “touch not mine anointed” originated from Psalms 105:15 and 1 Chronicles 16:22. It is a declaration of divine protection over those whom God has chosen and set apart for His purpose. While often associated with religious leaders, the concept of ‘being anointed’ extends to all believers in Christ, who have received the Holy Spirit. In our text, there was a plot to kill Jeremiah by the men of Anathoth – Jeremiah’s hometown. The plot was a big surprise to him, because it came from his own people. Like King David, Jeremiah prayed that God should bring judgment upon these wicked men. Every anointed person is an apple of God’s eyes. Those who would set themselves against one who is doing God’s work will reap the vengeance of God, (2 Kings 2:22-24).
Even in our time, when a preacher speaks the word of truth, opposition will come from those who are in bondage to their own self-deceptions. It will also come from those who are in servitude to their own traditions and sinful indulgences. Sometimes, God’s vengeance is carried out in this present life. But it certainly will be carried out in the hereafter. It is a very blasphemous act for anyone to raise his hands against one who is speaking forth the word of God.
In all, do not take revenge, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it written, “Vengeance belongs to Me. I will pay them back, declares the Lord” (Romans 12:19).
Reflections
- Brethren, avenge not yourselves; vengeance belongs to God.
Prayer
- Lord, grant me the grace of endurance.
Further Reading: Exodus 13:3-10; John 17:19-26; John 16:16-33
ESOCS Devotional 9 May 2026
