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rude,
lewd and tattooed
how
many times have you been told that tattoos and piercing are against
God's word? people like to quote leviticus, "do not cut
your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourself. I am the
Lord" (lev. 19:28). this scripture is taken as the main
scripture rejecting male piercing, and tattooing of any kind.
I find it interesting, over the past few years I have been asked by many
people about piercing and tattooing, does God's word truly speak out on
the topic?
let
me start by qualifying my research. when researching this topic I
ignored the "general" scriptures about not harming the body
(if we desire we can even say automobiles are against God's word).
too many people use this blanket to control and issue new, unwanted,
laws (check out the paper on
law). so I wanted to hit scripture that hit the topic straight
on, and in God's word.
so,
where does scripture stand on the issue of piercing and tattooing?
piercing is not a big issue in my mind, because any probation against
piercing stands for both females and males - if not it has no value.
I am more concerned with tattooing. what is God's teaching on the
subject? how does this teaching differ from others found in the
same cahpter of leviticus? let's take a look:
When
people quote leviticus they do not quote all of leviticus -
-
do
not hold back the wages of a hired hand over night
(v 13) - meaning? if you own a business and have employees you
must pay them everyday - no exceptions.
-
do
not wear clothing woven of two kinds of seed (v
19) - well, there goes all the cotton blends.
-
do
not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip the edges of your
beard (v 27) - looking good
with those long sideburns my friend.
I
find it interesting, people are willing to quote one part of the
scripture, but not others. is one "law" better then the
other? which one is better? who selects the best one?
I know - let's work with grace. then, what do they do with this
scripture?
-
"I
am the Lord’s," they’ll proudly say, or, "I am a
Jew," and tattoo upon their hands the name of God
or the honored name of Israel. (Isaiah 44:5)
the
rules concerning tattooing are centered more on cultural costumes then
they are based on scriptural ones. since scripture can not
contradict itself, and God is willing to tattoo his name on our hands,
how can we say tattooing is against God's Law - can God violate his own
law? I believe the guidelines against tattooing are similar to the
questions paul dealt with about eating. allow God to speak to the
individual, and allow that individual to seek God's guidance in this,
and all matters. here
are the words used in scripture to denote tattooing; some have tried to
use these words in different ways, in different sections of scripture -
3793
k^ethobeth { keth-o’-beth}
from
3789; TWOT - 1053b; n f
AV
- any 1; 1
GK
- 4182
1)
impression, inscription, mark a) in the flesh, perhaps a tattoo
3793
k^ethobeth { keth-o’-beth}
from
3789; TWOT - 1053b; n f
AV
- any 1; 1
GK
- 4182
1)
impression, inscription, mark. a) in the flesh, perhaps a tattoo
7085
qa`aqa` { kah-ak-ah’}
from
the same as 6970; TWOT - 2046a; n m
AV
- marks 1; 1
GK
- 7882
1)
incision, imprintment, tattoo, mark
tattooing
does not violate God's word. it is a social issue, not a
scriptural issue. if you desire to get a tattoo for "the dead
of other gods" I would say, that violates God's word, but to get a
tattoo because it just looks good, or because you think they're cool -
no problem. just make sure you follow the laws of your area,
concerning age and health, and if you are a minor and your parents do
not wish you to get one, don't - you need to follow the will of your
parents - that is in God's word.
by
pastor john o'keefe
John
O’Keefe is the founder of www.ginkworld.net.
John sees a desperate need for the church as a whole to
change and reach a new people for Christ.
He is straightforward, honest and calls it the way it he
sees it. John is a
graduate of Drew and has been a Senior Pastor and Church Planter
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