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NASB | Leviticus 19:28 'You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the LORD. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Leviticus 19:28 'You shall not make any cuts on your body [in mourning] for the dead, nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves; I am the LORD. |
Subject: Does the warning against tattoos apply |
Bible Note: Kalos, Have you heard the Midrash (story) about Solomon changing the law about Kings having many wives by removing the Hebrew letter Yod from the text? It’s a wonderful legend begun by Rabbis that pre-date Jesus. (At least that is the belief since Jesus seems to allude to it in Matt 5.) In sort (it’s a long story) the story goes like this: 1) Solomon is copying the text per the Law that Kings write a copy of the Law. 2) He comes to the offending law which says he can not have many wives otherwise his heart would turn away from the LORD. 3) He thinks, “I know the purpose of this law, and I will not turn from God, so it doesn’t have to apply to me. I will obey the ‘spirit’ of the law.” 4) He removes the letter “yod”. 5) The letter “yod” ascends on high to the throne of God, prostates itself and says, “Look what Solomon has done, if you allow this, then soon a whole word will be removed, and then whole commands, and your law will be meaningless.” 6) To this, God says, “Do not worry, Solomon and thousands like him will come and go, but not so much as a ‘yod’ will be removed from My Law until heaven and earth disappear.” The Rabbis used this story to teach that one must not think he knows more than God, and therefore think he can disregard one of his commands because he thinks he knows why it was put there. I really like this parable or legend, because it has helped me to stop justifying certain actions that in my heart I know violate God’s commands. Solomon had a good reason to think he knew why God put the command there, since the text says why it is there. But at the end of his life the text says that Solomon multiplied wives and his heart turned toward other gods and away from the Lord. (1 Kings 11:4) It is also said that it would have been better for Solomon to have cleaned latrines his whole life than for that sentence to have been written about him. In relation to the current topic, it is my personal belief that the command still stands. We may think we know why God gave this command and therefore rationalize why we do not have to obey it. But this is my opinion, and I hold no real judgments against those who arrive at a different conclusion. Just my two sense worth. MJH |