Addictions, bad and good........tattoos of Bible verses; thoughts?

[Heleadethme]

15 hours ago, TheBlade said:

Hey sis. Egyptians would take captives and were branded with the name of the god marking them as belonging to pharaoh. In Leviticus is cutting for the dead you will not mark your flesh and writing marks you will not make on you. They say the words writing refers to inscibed or engraved symbols words and is used only here. So when was this by the lord given to Israel? Did it come after He set them free from Egypt.

Heres a fun one "“One will say, ‘I am the LORD’S’; And another will name himself after Jacob; And another will write on his hand, ‘I am the LORD’S,’ And be called by the [honorable] name of Israel."

Now in Isa 44:5 here "will write" means to gave to write. For me as with so many others there is nothing in the word of God against tattoos unless they are doing it like God told Israel not to do. Then Jewish law? Oh man your not going to get a simple answer. Some forbid it others don't know because the word is renderd incision and sometimes translated "tattoo". Now if being Jewish and you have tattoos you can still be buried in a Jewish cemetery.

I always walk softly here and watch what I say. I still remember the very young girl with all these beautiful tattoos and I complement her on them. She then looked sad saying its best to think before you get them. She never looked ahead and how she would feel just a few years later. We can add burdens to those that have them or make them feel condemned. I pause and think wait and listen to the sweet spirit of God and do not believe they are wrong. Just really need to think before. Most can't get them off.. so I choose to say words of life.

No I just kinda touched this so.. 

Here we see Israelite false prophets cutting themselves for Baal as well:

1Ki 18:27-29

And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.

And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.

And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

The Lord told the Israelites not to do after the manner of the heathen in the land.  Pagans and witch doctors all over the globe tattoo themselves.  We should exercise discernment too. 

But brother, who is condemning anyone?  We all bear 'marks' of our past.  We all have things in our past that we regret.  I have a son born to me out of wedlock (there is no 'erasing' of that either, and I wouldn't want to! He is 43 and is finally as of just this past year, serving the Lord now....God can redeem the marks of our past!  \o/ )  He lives on the other side of the country and already has tattoos, and when he came to faith recently, unbeknownst to me he almost immediately went out and got the letters Yahweh or Jeshua (forget which) tattooed on his fingers.  I just said to him in that moment of our phone conversation, that God doesn't need us to do that for Him.  We had more important things to talk about at the time, and it takes time to learn the word and ways of the Lord... we aren't born again knowing everything of God's will.

But surely there are times when it's appropriate and kind to try to dissuade others from doing something they will regret down the road if we have the opportunity beforehand. 

 

[farouk]

4 hours ago, Heleadethme said:

 He lives on the other side of the country and already has tattoos, and when he came to faith recently, unbeknownst to me he almost immediately went out and got the letters Yahweh or Jeshua (forget which) tattooed on his fingers.

 

Hi @Heleadethme . Actually, @Rosie1jack2pauline3 also mentioned this design idea not so long ago, I think.

Thanks for your various comments, BTW; appreciated....

[farouk]

@Rosie1jack2pauline3 This topic is proving to be an interesting discussion, isn't it?

[farouk]

@ladypeartree FYI..........any wisdom here from a Welsh perspective?

[ladypeartree]

No ..personally I dont like tattoo's but then I can afford to give my children and grandchildren paper to draw on instead of needing to use skin

 

Before you get any tattoo try drawing on a piece of paper then crumpling that paper to see what it will look like when you are old and wrinkly  

[farouk]

1 minute ago, ladypeartree said:

No ..personally I dont like tattoo's but then I can afford to give my children and grandchildren paper to draw on instead of needing to use skin

 

Before you get any tattoo try drawing on a piece of paper then crumpling that paper to see what it will look like when you are old and wrinkly  

@ladypeartree Thanks for the comment........you're right that young ppl don't tend even to have the concept of what can mean to be older, several decades hence.............

My wife and I talked to a young lady with the whole of John 3.16 tattooed modestly placed on her wrist area; she was I guess kind of saying, As a new adult, I am quietly confident as a Christian woman.

[Sower]

17 minutes ago, farouk said:

@ladypeartree Thanks for the comment........you're right that young ppl don't tend even to have the concept of what can mean to be older, several decades hence.............

My wife and I talked to a young lady with the whole of John 3.16 tattooed modestly placed on her wrist area; she was I guess kind of saying, As a new adult, I am quietly confident as a Christian woman.

I understand your guessing her reason, as the excitement of 'the first love' is very emotional. And being emotional can lessen inhibitions/reason. Just curious why these many posts about tattoos, farouk. I haven't noticed if you had already said, but do you have tattoos yourself? Or, have you been a tattoo artist. Been wanting to ask without sounding offensive. Thanks...

[farouk]

5 minutes ago, Sower said:

I understand your guessing her reason, as the excitement of 'the first love' is very emotional. And being emotional can lessen inhibitions/reason. Just curious why these many posts about tattoos, farouk. I haven't noticed if you had already said, but do you have tattoos yourself? Or, have you been a tattoo artist. Been wanting to ask without sounding offensive. Thanks...

Hi @Sower A design I got on my arm wasn't successful. What you just said is right: all the young ppl with Bible verses tattooed with whom I have spoken seem to have received them as witness tools. Kind of, With hearts burning with joy, going into the tattoo parlor wanting to express Scripture for future conversations.

Yes, I like your 'first love' comment.

[farouk]

@DeighAnn FYI............any wisdom for this topic?

[farouk]

@Rosie1jack2pauline3 PS Did you see Willa's recent comment about her grandson's wedding ring tattoo?