"‘You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying. You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard. You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord." vv.26-28
Read chapter 19.
Should Christians today have tattoos? This used to be an absolute "No" in Christianity and now is more of a "Yes" and still a debatable topic. We have to remember to not take verses out of context and here we're still reading about the Law to the Israelites, and one that is no longer commanded by God for them or anyone to uphold. (Sure there are many things in the law that are good practices and morals to live by.) With specifically looking at tattooing we have to understand the culture of tattooing then. Tattoos were a sign of ownership: the slave had imprinted the initials of his master, the soldier the initials of his general and the worshiper the image or name of his deity. Yet God didn't want the Israelites to do this and follow the patterns of the other nations and other gods by an image or sign of Him on their bodies. They were already to have phylacteries to have on their foreheads and hand that the words of the Lord would be upon his mouth (Exodus 13). Tattoos today may still have these meanings in the past but also many other reasons. I do have a tattoo of an ichthus and it is a mark I wanted to have as a way to talk about the Lord to others wondering what it means. I remember someone telling me that God forbids tattoos and I broke down crying thinking I was a horrible person, but as I searched scripture and my heart in this matter I understand God's decree in this matter. Yet no matter what you believe about tattoos let it be by our words and actions that people know the God we believe and worship and not just by any marking on our body!
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