With tattoos being so normalized in today’s society, some have come under the scrutiny of their church for their decision to get tattoos. Some pastors and unbelievers alike will throw out Leviticus 19:28 to say Christians should not be tattooed. This verse states “You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord.” At first glance, it would appear that this verse does tell Christians not to get tattooed or piercings. But is that what the verse really means? Let’s take a deeper look.
During the time this was spoken among the Israelites, these pagan practices were practiced among the Caananites. As we read Leviticus 19:28, we need to remember that at the time, the Israelites were actively worshipping other Gods by doing these pagan rituals. Not only by getting tattooed but also by eating blood (Lev 19:26), cutting their hair like pagan priests (Lev 19:27), prostituting their daughters (Lev 19:29), and consulting mediums (Lev 19:31). But since tattoos were used as a Pagan practice then, is it still considered “pagan” today? Well, most people who are getting tattoos aren’t doing it to worship other Gods, rather just decorating their bodies with memories or things that express who they are. The question still remains though, are tattoos sinful? Well, the Lord doesn’t judge by appearance. Let’s discuss a passage in 1 Samuel.
Before I explain the passage, let’s do a quick recap of 1 Samuel. The book of 1 Samuel tells the story of Samuel the prophet. At the time, Saul oversaw Israel but he had rejected the word of the Lord (1 Samuel 15:19-23), so the Lord had to appoint a new king over Israel. The Lord spoke to Samuel saying “Invite Jesse to the sacrifice and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name you.” The Lord then sent Samuel to Bethlehem where he was met with the elders who trembled at his coming. They asked, “Do you come peaceably?” And Samuel responded “Peaceably, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.”So Samuel consecrated Jesse and his sons. (1 Samuel 16:1-5) Samuel had Jesse’s sons Eliab (1 Samuel 16:6), Abinadab (1 Samuel 16:8), & Shammah (1 Samuel 16:9) pass by him, but the Lord spoke to Samuel saying “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord does not see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7). After seven of Jesse’s sons had passed by without success, Samuel asked Jesse if all of his sons were present. Jesse tells him that his youngest son is out in the fields, keeping the sheep. When Jesse’s youngest son walks in, the Lord told Samuel to anoint him.
Later on, we learn his brothers were warriors while David was nothing more than a shepherd. This passage teaches us that those unlikely to be picked, are sometimes the ones God DOES pick for extraordinary things. It also shows us that regardless if we have piercings, tattoos, colored hair, etc the Lord does not judge us on this. Instead, he looks at our hearts. Therefore, if the Lord does not care about these things, how can they be sinful? It’s in our human nature to judge on appearance, as it has shown in scripture, but if we look at things the way God does, we will see past someone’s appearance and into their heart.
Tattooed Faith 