IS THIS BAD FOR TODAY ?

[Dan Perez]

Lev 19:28 reads , Ye shall not make any cutting , in your flesh for the DEAD NOR print any mark upon you , I am the Lord .

What about TATOOS ?

What say you ?

dan p

 

[QvQ]

Traditionally tattoos and piercing was frowned upon in America. Pierced ears were the mark of a fallen women. A tattoo was either a sailor or a hoodlum.
Both of these practices were rare even into the early 1980's.
I assumed the rejection of the practices was based on Biblical verse.
It may also be the practices were rare because of the risk of infection with primitive methods of cutting and marking. Antibiotics were rare before 1940 - 1950.
Thanks for posting that verse.

 

[St_Worm2]

Hello @Dan Perez, I suppose it depends upon someone's understanding and belief concerning that particular command. IOW, was it universal, or was it for Israel alone?

There seems (at least to me) to be a mix of both kinds of commands in that passage, though I would classify most as universal commands, wouldn't you?

As a for instance, here is some of what the Lord commanded in Chapter 19,

Leviticus 19
26 You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor practice divination or soothsaying.
27 You shall not round off the side-growth of your heads nor harm the edges of your beard.
28 You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the LORD.
29 Do not profane your daughter by making her a harlot, so that the land will not fall to harlotry and the land become full of lewdness.
30 You shall keep My sabbaths and revere My sanctuary; I am the LORD.
31 Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
32 You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the LORD.
33 When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.
34 The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.
35 You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measurement of weight, or capacity.
36 You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin; I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt.
37 You shall thus observe all My statutes and all My ordinances and do them; I am the LORD.
​

The question is, how do we know if God's clear prohibition against tattoos was meant for Israel alone, or if it is meant for all of His people for all time instead

God bless you!!

--David
p.s. - it often helps to know what was going on in history at the time a command was given (with the people that it was given to, obviously, which was typically Israel), just FYI.
.

 

[Sabertooth]

Lev 19:28 reads , Ye shall not make any cutting , in your flesh for the DEAD NOR print any mark upon you , I am the Lord .

What about TATOOS ?

What say you ?

dan p

Another concern: was it all [cuttings, piercings, tattoos], or just those that are "for the dead?"

Male circumcision (Jewish or prophylactic) is a "cutting."

 

[St_Worm2]

These activities (cutting/tattooing) were practiced by pagans, especially during times of mourning for the dead. ~Rooker, M. F. (2000). Leviticus (Vol. 3A, p. 262). Broadman & Holman Publishers.

These pagan practices were most likely associated with Egyptian idolatry and were therefore to be avoided. The practice of making deep gashes on the face and arms or legs, in times of grief, was universal among pagans. It was seen as a mark of respect for the dead, as well as a sort of propitiatory offering to the gods who presided over death. The Jews learned this custom in Egypt and, though weaned from it, relapsed into the old superstition (cf. Isaiah 22:12; Jeremiah 16:6; Jeremiah 47:5). Tattoos also were connected to names of idols, and were permanent signs of apostasy. ~MacArthur, J., Jr., ed. (1997). Commentary on Leviticus

Perhaps we should be wary, even today, of the same thing, and truly consider what we are doing and why (as believers) before choosing to be tattooed.(?)

 

[JohnL1153]

Lev 19:28 reads , Ye shall not make any cutting , in your flesh for the DEAD NOR print any mark upon you , I am the Lord .

What about TATOOS ?

What say you ?

dan p

Hey Dan,

I think the scripture at Leviticus 19:28 is pretty clear that tattoos are not acceptable. But the question we need to consider is...Why?

When you think about it, we are God's Creation, made in His likeness (see Genesis 1:26). He has made us perfectly in His likeness according to the plan of His Creation. If we alter His perfect plan, then we defame and spoil His perfect work. So, when we tattoo ourselves, we are mutilating the perfect work of God.

To give another analogy on this from the law, consider the practice of making altars. God said in the Law that the only altar acceptable to Him is either a pile of earth or a pile of stones that have not been touched by any tool.

24 An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. 25 And if you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones; for if you wield your tool upon it you profane it. 26 And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.’ (Exodus 20:24-26)​

Note that God said that if you wield a tool on the stones of the altar, you profane it. The altar is no longer a work of God but is a work of man. It is no longer an altar to the Lord God, but is an altar to the ego of man, and is thus a profaned thing.

Why? Because man thought he could do better and make the altar more perfect or more beautiful than a thing made by God.

How much more then when man thinks he can make him or herself more beautiful by adding tattoos to what is already a perfect creation by God? If building an altar with tools makes the altar a profanity, then how much more will man profane God's ultimate creation, man himself, by adding ink?

Worth thinking about.

 

[Original Happy Camper]

The question is, how do we know if God's clear prohibition against tattoos was meant for Israel alone, or if it is meant for all of His people for all time instead

Matthew 4:4
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

 

[timewerx]

Lev 19:28 reads , Ye shall not make any cutting , in your flesh for the DEAD NOR print any mark upon you , I am the Lord .

What about TATOOS ?

What say you ?

dan p

Not all the laws of Leviticus are absolutely applicable today.

I suppose what would apply is what is your motivation if getting a tattoo for any reason.

 

[Dan Perez]

Not all the laws of Leviticus are absolutely applicable today.

I suppose what would apply is what is your motivation if getting a tattoo for any reason.

You are rightly dividing are you ?

Just that TATOOS look bad to me and they put them where all can see them .

dan p

 

[timewerx]

You are rightly dividing are you ?

Just that TATOOS look bad to me and they put them where all can see them .

dan p

I don't have a tattoo and I don't think it will look good on me. Not thinking of having one ever.

 

[Sabertooth]

I don't have a tattoo and I don't think it will look good on me. Not thinking of having one ever.

Personally, I don't like most piercings, either, but God speaks positively of ear & nose rings in Ezekiel 16:12.

 

[timewerx]

Personally, I don't like most piercings, either, but God speaks positively of ear & nose rings in Ezekiel 16:12.

I won't do it even if it's OKAY

 

[Original Happy Camper]

Personally, I don't like most piercings, either, but God speaks positively of ear & nose rings in Ezekiel 16:12.

Ezekiel 16
King James Version

16 Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,

17 Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them

Selective reading IMHO

 

[Sabertooth]

Selective reading IMHO

Or context matters...

 

[Original Happy Camper]

Or context matters...

yes it does

 

[Dan Perez]

Personally, I don't like most piercings, either, but God speaks positively of ear & nose rings in Ezekiel 16:12.

In reading EZE 16:1 and through that whole chapter , it is a condemnation of Israel and as to verse 12 was crowned and Israel became , in verse 17 and madest to thyself images of men , and didst commit whoredom with them .

In verse 16:44 Israel became a PROVERB , Behold , every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb , against thee saying , As is the Mother , so is the Daughter .

Read that whole chapter !!

dan p

 

[timewerx]

What if I was walking by a tattoo shop, then the tattoo artist accidentally dropped his "pen" or whatever, it bounce off the ground, and then it hit my leg and randomly scribbled a pattern that looked like below, is that bad?

 

[Sabertooth]

What if I was walking by a tattoo shop, then the tattoo artist accidentally dropped his "pen" or whatever, it bounce off the ground, and then it hit my leg and randomly scribbled a pattern that looked like below, is that bad?

Theoretically, no, but you can never be too sure with graphic arts.
When I was younger, I would sometimes make what I thought was a "new" type of art only to find out that it already existed, and was demonic in origin...!

It is okay to keep artwork unless/until you are convicted otherwise.
When that happens on paper, you can throw it away.
When it happens on a computer, you can delete the file.
Tattoos are indelible.

 

[Dan Perez]

Theoretically, no, but you can never be too sure with graphic arts.
When I was younger, I would sometimes make what I thought was a "new" type of art only to find out that it already existed, and was demonic in origin...!

It is okay to keep artwork unless/until you are convicted otherwise.
When that happens on paper, you can throw it away.
When it happens on a computer, you can delete the file.
Tattoos are indelible.

In Eze 16:11 , reads I DECKED THEE ALSO / ADA , is in the stem QAL and means to make known and in the Hebrew IMPERFECT TENSE , which means that when they OBEYED God , they were DECKED with Jewels by God and would say , that today Israel has LOST there way by disobeying and are not the JEWEL of God , until they are saved , Rom 11:26 and when the NEW COVENANT kicks in '

dan p