Context
The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God. 3 You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. 4 You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the Lord your God. 5 Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord.
Leviticus 18:1-5
A lot has been made of the Levitical laws. Oh, not all of them. Most people are onboard with do not steal and do not murder. But why does God outlaw tattoos (19:28) or why can’t you weave two types of cloth together (19:19)?
Well, the answer is twofold.
Firstly, Israel doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It is surrounded by other cultures who do not worship God. And whose practices are in worship to false gods. So, why no tattoos? Well, the people around Israel would tattoo themselves in reverence to idols or in expressions of power.
The second reason is cultural imagination. People aren’t just ‘minds’. Think about (yes, the irony) all that you do. So much of Leviticus is about helping Israel’s thought life be shaped by practices. Why does God make corpses unclean? It builds a revulsion to death in Israel.
Mixing two types of cloth is symbolic of mixing two cultures. God’s people can’t mix, shouldn’t marry, mustn’t conform to any other culture but the one he has given them. Because culture is not neutral. Culture is an expression of worship.
So. Can you get a tattoo today? Can you wear clothes of mixed fibres? Yes. But do you think about why you wear what you wear (less about material and more about fashion/style/branding)? Do you think about why you get tattoos?
The question isn’t can I. But what and who for? Who is your Lord and do you live for him? In every aspect of life?
Today:
Pray:
Leviticus 18:1-5
A lot has been made of the Levitical laws. Oh, not all of them. Most people are onboard with do not steal and do not murder. But why does God outlaw tattoos (19:28) or why can’t you weave two types of cloth together (19:19)?
Well, the answer is twofold.
Firstly, Israel doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It is surrounded by other cultures who do not worship God. And whose practices are in worship to false gods. So, why no tattoos? Well, the people around Israel would tattoo themselves in reverence to idols or in expressions of power.
The second reason is cultural imagination. People aren’t just ‘minds’. Think about (yes, the irony) all that you do. So much of Leviticus is about helping Israel’s thought life be shaped by practices. Why does God make corpses unclean? It builds a revulsion to death in Israel.
Mixing two types of cloth is symbolic of mixing two cultures. God’s people can’t mix, shouldn’t marry, mustn’t conform to any other culture but the one he has given them. Because culture is not neutral. Culture is an expression of worship.
So. Can you get a tattoo today? Can you wear clothes of mixed fibres? Yes. But do you think about why you wear what you wear (less about material and more about fashion/style/branding)? Do you think about why you get tattoos?
The question isn’t can I. But what and who for? Who is your Lord and do you live for him? In every aspect of life?
Today:
- What cultures or subcultures have you been shaped by?
- Has you noticed how a particular culture has drawn you away from God? Now, or in the past?
- What is one area of your life that you need to make Jesus your Lord of?
Pray:
- Praise the Father that he is God and worthy of our wholehearted worship.
- Give thanks for Jesus who shows us perfect culture.
- Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others live according to his ways in worship of him.
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