Lips, Inked

We told you earlier this week about the Tournament Director who plans to get a new tattoo with the Latin words for "praise to God."  That's obviously something a poker ministry would support.... right?

Well, not so fast.  It's one thing to praise God verbally....

My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long. - Psalm 71:8

It's also a good thing to lift your arms, in worshiping God....

I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing. - I Timothy 2:8

But putting words of praise on those arms?!  There's a warning about that hidden in an Old Testament book which doesn't usually get a lot of attention:

Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord. - Leviticus 19:28

"But that's Old Testament," some people might answer.  "We're not under that anymore!"  Yet this is the same chapter of Leviticus where the principle to "love your neighbor as yourself" is introduced (verse 18) -- not to mention showing respect for older people (verse 32) and using honest weights and measures (verses 35-36).  Would anyone dare say those decrees of God (which verse 37 indicates they are) are out of date, too?

It would be an easy cliche for us to say God made your skin in His image (see Genesis 1:26), so there's no need for you to add anything to it.  But that would open a potentially big debate about women wearing makeup, and we've been in church groups which have flip-flopped on that issue numerous times over the years.  And then there's a statement we found while writing this post:

Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?  Though she may forget, I will not forget you!  See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. - Isaiah 49:15-16

God is speaking these words to the nation of Israel -- and the Hebrew word for "engraved" is different from the word for "tattoo". Yet it can still refer to painting.  So what about these marks on the palms of God?  We're open to ideas on this, but we're led to think there's a connection with Jesus Christ:

But he [Thomas] said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." - John 20:25b

Call him "Doubting Thomas" if you wish, but this disciple apparently was convinced Jesus was nailed to the cross.  Jesus showed Thomas those hands in verse 27 -- so could they be the "marks" God uses to remember Israel until Christ returns?  They aren't tattoo marks, but they're marks all believers long to see someday.