tattoos fortune tellers and polyester

If you know anything about Leviticus 19 it's probably because it came up in a discussion about whether or not it is a sin to get a tattoo.

But Leviticus 19 mentions lots of other odd things like fortune tellers, polyester material, not eating fruit off of a tree until it is at least 5 years old, and not cross-breeding your cattle. This chapter also tells men how to grow the ultimate Biblical beard.

There are lots of weird rules in Leviticus 19. When you read a chapter like this it either 1) will make you want to go Amish or 2) it reminds you of a lot of Christians you don’t like. They know all sorts of obscure verses in the Bible, they hate everything and they want you to join in their misery so you too can be godly.

But I know what you’re thinking now that I’ve brought it up. You just want to know if it’s a sin to get a tattoo.

While that may be the foremost question on your mind, let’s start at the top, not with something the chapter mentions, but with what the text is about. While it’s true that all of that stuff is in this chapter, that’s not what the chapter is about. Leviticus 19 does contain lots of weird rules, but it’s really not about those rules.

So what’s Leviticus 19 about? Leviticus 19 is about holiness. And while the word tattoo occurs only 1 time in the entire Bible, this word holiness that we find repeated at the beginning of the chapter is used about 750 times in the Bible.

Leviticus 19:1–2 ESV

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

Let’s talk first about what holiness means.

What is holiness?

The Biblical word holy means that something is set apart for God. Once it is made holy, it is His. God could make things holy such as the altars and items used in Tabernacle worship. He could make spaces holy such as the space inside the Tabernacle court or the ground around the burning bush where he met with Moses. He could make time holy such as a holy day or a Sabbath day. Ultimately God could designate a person as holy. That person becomes His.

Holy is sort of like a surgery room. It’s set apart. Protected. Different.

Earlier this summer Kiley had a procedure on her knee. So that morning we took her to the surgery center. First you enter a waiting room. In that room you will find chairs, magazines, TV’s. You fill out some general paperwork in that room. There are lots of people waiting around in that room.

They don’t do surgery in that room. Ever.

When your appointment is called, they take you back to yet another room. This is a prep room. They get you ready for the surgery in this room. There’s lots of activity here. You answer some questions. They draw on your leg. You get an IV. They put you on a bed. They take your vitals.

But again. No one is undergoing surgery in this room.

At some point the surgeon and his team comes and gets the patient. Parents have to stay behind. And they wheel you back to the surgical room. It’s sterilized. It’s equipped. There is very limited access. This is the only place in the surgery center set aside for surgery.

There are lots of spaces and rooms in that building, but the surgical room is the ONLY one in which surgery is done. That makes this room different than any other room.

That’s the concept of holiness. It’s different. It’s set apart. It’s protected. It is uncommon.

The rules.

Now if that’s the only room in the building where you can do surgery, let’s talk for a moment about what you can’t do in there.

Could employees gather in there and eat lunch? Could they take a moment in the day and put out a spread on the surgery table?

We are probably also safe to say that you can’t bring stray animals in there. You shouldn’t do small engine repair in the surgery room. Probably not a room for watching movies. We wouldn’t want to do anything in that room that makes it unsterile or could mess up some very intricate equipment.

The Doctor told us that the surgical room costs about $80 per minute to use because of the prep, the staff, and the specialized equipment that is in there.

So let me ask you this question. Do you think they have a lot of trouble denying people who want to call and rent that room for a birthday party? Probably not. Why?

Because the goal of that room is surgery. It’s a place where you can cut into a person’s body, make a repair, bring about healing, and greatly reduce the risk of infection.

Do you see how when it comes to having a room set aside for surgery is such a positive, that you probably don’t have a lot of problems with the negatives.

The same is true of holiness. Holiness is not a negative. It is a massive yes to God. Holiness means that you want to get into a space, into a time, where you can get into His presence. Holiness is you wanting to know the Lord.

The problem is that we want to read Leviticus 19 from the bottom up. We want to focus on the list of rules, the negatives, and in so doing we miss the massive yes, the goal of Leviticus 19. This is about holiness - that’s the goal - it’s not about the rules.

that’s why we argue about tattoos but have very few conversations about encouraging one another to holiness.

If you think that the rules are what make you holy, that’s legalism, that’s not holiness. That’s the version of Christianity that the people who hate everything and want you to join in their misery try to live.

But when you focus on the positive, the rules are natural not burdensome.

Do you think anyone at the surgery center comes in with the attitude, “You know what, I bet they won’t let us have spinach dip again today in the surgery center. Ridiculous.”

you start at the yes. Then the no’s are no problem.

I bet they have zero problems keeping things out of the surgery room. Why? Because the people that work there respect it. They want to enter it and fulfill the goal for it.

The same is true of holiness. If you want to know God, the negatives are unthinkable to you anyway. You want IN. You want time with Him. You want to be His. The focus is on him, not the rules.

So why the tattoo rule?

The things listed here seem odd to us, but they are pervasive in the culture that Israel is entering into.

So God gave them some boundaries to keep them distinct.

Several areas of life - sort of a retelling and application of the ten commandments. this is holiness established in the relationship and then practiced in everyday life.

Holiness begins with reverence and respect. For God (no idols),the Sabbath and parents. Two very foundational practices of following God. Reverencing Him in worship. Respecting the family as a fundamental feature of society. Think of how different our society would be in values (not in holiness) but just in moral value if a day of worship and family were to safeguarded features of our society.

Vv. 9-18 - all under the heading of love your neighbor as yourself. Crucifies self-interest in business. God’s people would never take advantage of another, but works to help people with hand ups not just hand outs.

vv. 19 - big part of holiness is order. Holiness reflects the idea of creation that something chaotic and orderless comes together by God’s Word. A holy life respects identity and created purposes.

vv. 20-22 holiness has a lot to do with the body, our sexual activity. You see sexual boundaries in chapters 18 and in chapters 20 surrounding this passage.

The passage continues on - we are about life, not death. We don’t look to fortune tellers but to the revealed Word of God. We don’t cast elders to the side but we revere the grey hair. We don’t cheat people. Doing business with us is like business with no other.

The message here is clear. There is not an area in your life where your relationship with the Lord is immune from the consideration of his constant presence. From the way you behave at home to your commitment to worship to the way you work or run your business to the way you wear your clothes or what you do with your body - it’s all a matter of holy if you are His.

it ought to be apparent that you know the Lord.

the rules are inseparable from holiness. You can’t cherry pick them. You don’t have a tattoo but you have no respect for your husband.

we want to major on the tattoo part and make it the determining factor for holiness, but right now I’m wearing a suit that is 81% polyester. Ironic isnt. It. Did you see me walk on stage and think - what a reprobate!

our tendancy is to major on the ones we are good at. Holiness calls for every area of life to be sanctified before the Lord.

its about ALL conduct.

So many meticulous things that were particular to their situation. But look at how the principle of this fleshes out in 1 Peter.

Get to 1 Peter - in all your conduct

1 Peter 1:13–16 ESV

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Notice there isnt an outline of rules. There is a call to flesh out holiness in your conduct.

take what is pervasive in the culture and consider how does that flesh out in being distinct before the Lord?

It’s established in the relationship and it is practiced in it’s application to how we behave before others.

Our mistake - we take the world’s ways and come up with a Christianized version of it - that’s not holiness, that’s just alternative culture.

Holiness is exemplified in that these people are like no one else - you see this in 1 Peter as well -

So how to be holy

Holiness is about taking otherwise everyday things and putting boundaries around it in where you want God to fill it.

Like the Tabernacle - they set up the walls and wilderness became holy ground

Time - with God daily

My body

My business

You do that, all of the sudden it’s not about the rules, but about being in the presence of God in these places.

Then you realize it’s not the what of a tattoo, but the why.

Well, you’re going to Hell if you have a tattoo! My question is then, how many people are in Hell who don’t have tattoos?

the difference in clean and unclean - helpful and unhelpful

we need a monitor on our lives like our phones monitor our calls - silenced - junk - potential spam. Silenced. Our phone learns and designates space - not worth your attention or time. Will not give you anything you need.

conclusion

we need Christ to make us holy.