God's Tattoo

Behold, I have carved you on the palms of My hands; your walls are always before Me.

Isaiah 49:16 LITV

"Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.

Isaiah 49:16 NAS95

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

Isaiah 49:16 Revised Version

Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands. Your walls are continually before Me.

Isaiah 49:16 Tree of Life Version

A friend got a henna tattoo on her hand recently. It was a beautiful vine with leaves. In a few more days it will have faded and gone away. The beauty of the design will live on in the pictures she took and shared. Such is the life of a henna tattoo.

As a kid growing up, tattoos were taboo. It was a well-known fact that Christians did not get tattooed. To do so in our church would have gotten you into a lot of trouble. As a pastor, I encountered that sentiment when a member of the worship team got a tattoo. I was in a tough spot. Some wanted him banned from the front of the church. Most people did not care. My board wanted me to preach against tattoos in very short order. So I went to the Scriptures to find that one verse that would set this young person straight, and appease the board.

I did not find what I was looking for, instead, I found the verses of today’s musing. I put in four translations because they all say it a bit differently, carved, inscribed, graven, and engraved are all pretty strong words. The Easy to Read version says “I drew a picture of you on my hand.”

Guess what? God says I tattooed you on the palm of my hand. So far, I can’t find a translation that goes that far, but here is what Strong’s Concordance says about the Hebrew word used here for inscribed:

châqaq khaw-kak' A primitive root; properly to hack, that is, engrave (Judges_5:14, to be a scribe simply); by implication to enact (laws being cut in stone or metal tablets in primitive times) or (generally) prescribe: - appoint, decree, governor, grave, lawgiver, note, pourtray, print, set.

To hack? We are not talking about a nice, clean, safe tattoo here. It’s hacked into the palm of God’s hand. Isiah is not the only one who talks about a “tattoo.” Notice this verse from Song of Solomon:

"Put me like a seal over your heart, Like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, Jealousy is as severe as Sheol; Its flashes are flashes of fire, The very flame of the LORD.

Song of Solomon 8:6 NAS95

I wish I had room to cite all of the references I read to be sure I was on track, instead here are the commentary names I used: E.W. Bullinger, Joseph Benson, Adam Clarke, and Keil & Delitzsch. From Clarke I read this:

It is well known, that the pilgrims at the holy sepulcher get themselves marked in this manner with what are called the ensigns of Jerusalem.

Why all this fuss about a tattoo? The Scripture does warn about putting marks on the skin that are taken to promote foreign gods. Having a tattoo can be a witness to something important to you. Both of my daughters have tattoos. They both have them to celebrate and commemorate their battle with cancer. One daughter has her two sons memorialized on her feet. And one has a tattoo of an electric mixer; because she will always be a Mixer.

If I should ever get a tattoo, and I highly doubt I will other than the henna tattoo I got to take a picture of and send home to the congregation as a joke, it will be to be a witness of what God, through His Son Jesus Christ has done in my life. I do get disturbed when I see a person who has thousands of dollars worth of tattoos asking for financial help. Often what they need is spiritual help. The challenge for me is to look past the tattoos and see their heart. To see the real needs, and to act as a responsible, caring Christian. I do not want to ever dismiss a person by how they look. It is my desire to always look past their appearance and see their need.

You see, I know I am tattooed in the palm of God’s hand, and I want to make certain that person is too. The next time you see someone’s, or maybe your own tattoos, remember, there is a tattoo in the palm of God’s hand. It is so His people are ever before Him.