Tattoos And Blue Buicks

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The Old Blue Buick

Back in my college days, I had a super fun, wild and crazy roommate. She grew up in a strict United Pentecostal home. She attended church multiple times a week, sang in the choir, could not cut her hair and had to wear long skirts, along with other things. The most memorable part, she had a 1970-something, bright blue Buick Electra. It had no AC and white vinyl seats. In southeast Texas, that was a combination that resulted in a lot of sweat, but we would roll the windows down and cruise the town in that car.

We moved in together our freshman year of college, and her rebellion began only a couple of weeks later. But, let me clarify, rebelling meant wearing shorts, trimming her hair, and dating. Then one day she said, “We need to get tattoos!” I had always wanted a small one, but was not sure I wanted to make that kind of permanent commitment. At age 18, it did not take too much convincing and off we went to the tattoo parlor.

A Tiny Tattoo

After my five minutes of pain, I told you it was tiny, I watched her get a rather large sun imprinted on her stomach just above her hipbone. When we got in my Jeep afterwards, the first comment out of her mouth, in her southern twang, was, “Well, I know what my daddy is going to say to this.” I looked at her confused, and she continued by saying, “Girl! he is going to quote Leviticus 19:28 to me.” She could tell I was still not with her and said, “Do you not know Leviticus 19:28? Girl! It says thou shall not put tattoo marking on thy body.”

My heart stopped. I had started to feel a tugging from the Lord and was exploring more about my faith. I wanted to do everything to please God, and now she was telling me this. Could she not have said something about this an hour before?

I wanted an eraser, anything to take this small tattoo off my body. She just giggled and said, “Girl, it is all gonna be ok.” I was not so sure, but what could I do? The tattoo was there, and it is still very much there today.

“Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the Lord.”

Leviticus 19:28 NIV

Strange Laws Of Leviticus

As I have read through Leviticus this year, while reading through the Bible in a year, I had to stop and giggle when I got to Leviticus 19:28. It really struck fear in me all those years ago. Along with this one, the book of Leviticus contains some strange laws. Want to hear a few?

“You may eat any animal that has completely split hooves and chews the cud.”

Leviticus 11:3 NIV

“You must never have sexual relations with a close relative, for I am the Lord.”

Leviticus 18:6 NIV

“Do not mate two different kinds of animals. Do not plant your field with two different kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing woven from two different kinds of thread.”

Leviticus 19:19 NIV

“You must not offer to the Lord an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut.”

Leviticus 22:24 NIV

Reading this with a twenty-first century western mindset, most of these laws seem strange. God comes across strict and compassionless. As a God with a lot of rules and no wiggle room. Like the friend you had growing up, and you never wanted to go to their house because of all the rules. We read these and think what a harsh and controlling God, but it is quite the contrary.

Laws Given Out Of Love

God gave them rules for living out of love. Rules to keep them healthy, and to protect them from each other and the harsh environment they lived in. One could not call 911 or get taken to the hospital if they got sick. You could not call a company to take care of your mold problem, nor could you take your animal to the vet. God gave these regulations to keep them from all kinds of disease and circumstances they would find themselves in.

To go back to the tattoo fiasco. God said not to put tattoo marks on your body or to cut your body. Am I giving permission to do this now, no, that is between you and God. Many of these laws are still valid and in our best interest to follow. Hence, we should still not live in a house full of mold. But in that time period, they had just left Egypt where there were customs in that culture of cutting or placing tattoos on their body for different gods. God is very clear in saying you are to do nothing to place another god before Him.

“You must not have any other god but me.”

Exodus 20:3 NLT

God’s Laws Protect Us

The rule of eating any animal that has completely split hooves and chews the cud seems funny and extreme. For example, you could not eat a camel. It chews cud but does not have a completely split hoof. The few animals that have split hooves and chew cud are safer to eat and keep longer in the harsh desert environment, making them safer to eat.

The command not to have sexual relations with a close relative seems normal to us. God said this because He knew what would happen if close relatives had a baby.

Not mating two different kinds of animals, or planting two different kinds of seed together, or not wearing clothing woven from two different kinds of thread seem strange to us. In our designer dog, genetically modified veggies, and cotton polyester t-shirt blend world, these rules come across as foreign.

In the time of Leviticus, however, breeding animals together, that should not be together, caused many abnormalities and these animals were not considered pure and clean for sacrifice. Planting two types of seeds together causes one to not flourish. One plant will oppress the other, causing you to not have a plentiful harvest. God mentioned the two forms of fiber because at that time, they had wool and linen. What happens if you wear wool in the desert? You get extremely hot. Wearing only linen allowed them to stay cooler and more comfortable.

What If…

If the Israelites were in Montana, God may have said to wear only wool, to keep warm and to grow only grain and potatoes, because they grow best here. Take a moment to this about where you live and what circumstances you face and what laws do you think would be given were God giving the law now.

God Requires Our Best

For the last of our examples, you must not offer to the Lord an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut. Did that make you giggle? Anyway, an animal with any abnormality was not clean and pure to offer for a sacrifice. God required your best.

That is still what He asks of us for today, to give our best. One of the first stories in the Bible, the story of Cain and Abel, teaches us this. Abel gave his best and Cain did not. We are to give God our firstfruits, our best.

The Laws Gave Protection

God gave many strange rules in the first few books of the Bible, but every one of them benefitted the Israelites. They gave them structure, good health, and protection. In the new testament, we see Jesus come and fulfill each law. He mentions some of them and how He has taken the place of the law. It is through the shedding of His blood that He became our sacrificial lamb.

“Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.”

Romans 3:31 NLT

I am so grateful to live this side of Jesus. To know He came for me to become the final sacrifice. I no longer have to bring an animal or offering to God for my sin, but Jesus already did it for me. God is so gracious and has given us so much. Jesus shed His blood for every sin I have done or will do. Before He died, He said “It is finished,” and with those words all of our sins were dealt with.

Jesus shed His blood for every sin I have done or will do. Before He died, He said "It is finished," and with those words all of our sins were dealt with. Click To Tweet

Join me in praising God today for sending His son Jesus to die for our sins so that we can live pure and clean before an amazing God.

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