In this episode we continue studying the book of Leviticus. In this episode Moses is instructed to tell the people to be holy because God is holy.

The ten commandments are reviewed with additional laws and commandments. The people are told not to reap the corners of their fields nor gather the gleanings of their harvest. These were to be left in the field to provide for the poor and foreigners or strangers in the land.

They were also told to love the stranger or foreigner just like they loved themselves. They were to treat a stranger or foreigner just like he was born among them. They were told not to vex the stranger.

They were told not to hate each other nor bear grudges against each other.

Men were told not to turn their daughters into whores. Less the land be filled with wickedness.

They were also told not to cut themselves for the dead, nor to imprint marks on their bodies for the dead.

The Egyptians marked or imprinted their bodies to memorialize the dead. And God’s people were warned not to do this.

Was the imprinted mark a symbol or the persons name? We are not told.

Yet, we note that we cannot say, that God is against tattoos or certain imprints on the body, because Revelation chapter 19 verse 16 says of Jesus,

Revelation 19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

And Isaiah chapter 49 verses 15 and 16.

Isaiah 49:15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

Isaiah 49:16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

Tattoo or no tattoo, the main thing is, God doesn’t want his people to mar their bodies for the dead.

Because it's a way for people to always have the persons name before them. Instead of the name of his Son who died to defeat death.

Death is a work of the devil and God dosen't want his people magnifying the works of the devil by focusing on the dead.

It’s Satan's way to get people to figuratively hang out in graveyards.

And we note that the man of Gadera hung out in a graveyard and cut himself.

God doesn’t want us hanging out in graveyards, he doesn’t want us to afflict ourselves with mourning by thinking about deceased relatives or friends day and night.

They were also told not to use enchantments and not to be an observer of times. And they were told not to regard those with familiar spirits or seek after wizards to be defiled by them.

This commandment would be repeated in the book of Deuteronomy with additional stipulations.

Here’s the text:

Deuteronomy 18:9 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.

Deuteronomy 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,

Deuteronomy 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

Deuteronomy 18:12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

Deuteronomy 18:13 Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.

Deuteronomy 18:14 For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.