He allowed no man to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings:  1 Chronicles 16:21 

 

Nebuchadnezzar took God’s sacred vessels from the Temple at Jerusalem and placed them in a pagan temple at Shinar (Daniel 1:1-2). After his son Belshazzar became king, one night during a drunken feast, 'They brought in the gold goblets...from the temple of God... and the king... and his concubines drank from them' (Daniel 5:3). That was a bad move! If they’d defiled some worthless old cups it might not have mattered, but God had too much invested in these sacred vessels to allow them to be mishandled – it showed their disrespect for God. That night Belshazzar and his entire kingdom were destroyed. Why? Because of this Bible principle: 'He allowed no man to do them wrong; yes, He reproved kings for their sakes, saying, 'Touch not My anointed, and do My prophets no harm' (1 Chronicles 16:21-22). Even in hostile surroundings, God’s chosen vessels still belong to Him, and the enemy messes with them at his peril. You may have to live and work in a difficult situation. You may have to endure great hardship for your faith. But understand - God’s got too much invested in you to let you be destroyed! Any time Satan tries that, God will disrupt his party and say, 'This vessel’s off limits; it took Me too long to teach this woman how to pray... I’ve devoted too many hours training this man how to overcome. They’ve just learned how to stand amidst trials... they’ve suffered too much for My sake for Me to let you harm them. The party’s over - they’re Mine!' Rejoice - if you belong to God, you’re fully protected!