[14] He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes;
[15] Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
God called the family of Abraham, the family of his son Isaac and the family of his son Jacob, to salvation (that became the nation of Israel) whether they liked it or not. They miraculously survived all sorts of trials, tragedies and even kings were rebuked for their sakes. God's anointed ones would include kings, priests, and prophets, all of whom received anointing in a dedication ceremony.
Practically, as believers, God does protect us from harm against those who want to hurt us. We can trust in God to get us through any and all situations if we put our trust in Him for getting us through those situations.
The use of the word “prophet” here refers to any proclaimer of God’s truth. The historical reference in these verses is a reference to the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as they were “moving” from Israel to Egypt. Because they were called by God to form a nation for Him, they are called prophets simply because their existence and survival does speak of God’s existence.
[16] Moreover He called for a famine upon the land: He brake the whole staff of bread.
This verse is saying in effect that God allowed a horrible tragedy (a famine, see Genesis 41:53-57) to exist in order to get this particular family to move to Egypt. Were other families affected by this famine? Yes, of course. Was it fair to everyone else that God allowed this famine to occur? No, of course not. Sometimes God allows bad things to occur for reasons that are beyond our ability to comprehend at that moment in time.
We must trust God to guide us in good times as well as bad times. He wants to guide our lives just like He guided the lives of the original Israelite families. Sometimes He allows bad things to happen in order for His will to get done.
The last phrase of verse 16, He brake the whole staff of bread, could refer to a rod on which bread, shaped in rings, was hung up to protect it from rodents, or it could be speaking figuratively of bread as the staff of life.
[15] Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
God called the family of Abraham, the family of his son Isaac and the family of his son Jacob, to salvation (that became the nation of Israel) whether they liked it or not. They miraculously survived all sorts of trials, tragedies and even kings were rebuked for their sakes. God's anointed ones would include kings, priests, and prophets, all of whom received anointing in a dedication ceremony.
Practically, as believers, God does protect us from harm against those who want to hurt us. We can trust in God to get us through any and all situations if we put our trust in Him for getting us through those situations.
The use of the word “prophet” here refers to any proclaimer of God’s truth. The historical reference in these verses is a reference to the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as they were “moving” from Israel to Egypt. Because they were called by God to form a nation for Him, they are called prophets simply because their existence and survival does speak of God’s existence.
[16] Moreover He called for a famine upon the land: He brake the whole staff of bread.
This verse is saying in effect that God allowed a horrible tragedy (a famine, see Genesis 41:53-57) to exist in order to get this particular family to move to Egypt. Were other families affected by this famine? Yes, of course. Was it fair to everyone else that God allowed this famine to occur? No, of course not. Sometimes God allows bad things to occur for reasons that are beyond our ability to comprehend at that moment in time.
We must trust God to guide us in good times as well as bad times. He wants to guide our lives just like He guided the lives of the original Israelite families. Sometimes He allows bad things to happen in order for His will to get done.
The last phrase of verse 16, He brake the whole staff of bread, could refer to a rod on which bread, shaped in rings, was hung up to protect it from rodents, or it could be speaking figuratively of bread as the staff of life.