Jacob Memorial Tattoo

So I went and got a tattoo last night to remember Jacob by. A buddy of mine's soon-to-be brother in law owns a very upscale cool tattoo place called ArtNBody. When my friend explained the situation to him he got us right in and did an excellent job and took good care of me. The tattoo is located right below my left wrist.

What is it?
It's biblical Hebrew and it says (reading from right to left) "ya`aqob beni" or "Jacob, my son." I wanted something permanent that will always remind me of him and will spark conversations with other people about him and what God has done through him.


Why the wrist? Why in Hebrew?
First off, the Hebrew just plain looks kewl! Of course it's also the language that most of the Old Testament was written in. Jacob was named after Jacob son of Isaac from the book of Genesis in the Old Testament so it seems only fitting.

Isaiah 49:13-16 (TLB) says "Sing for joy, O heavens; shout, O earth. Break forth with song, O mountains, for the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion upon them in their sorrow. Yet they say, 'My Lord deserted us; he has forgotten us.' 'Never! Can a mother forget her little child and not have love for her own son? Yet even if that should be, I will not forget you. See, I have tattooed your name upon my palm, and ever before me is a picture of Jerusalem’s walls in ruins. Soon your rebuilders shall come and chase away all those destroying you."
In these verses Isaiah is recording a dialogue between Israel and God. The people in Jerusalem felt as if God had forgotten them and their city. But God replied that He certainly had not forgotten Israel. He could not possibly do so because He is like a mother to the nation. Furthermore, the nation was inscribed, as it were, on His palms. Therefore whenever He, figuratively speaking, lifts up His hands He sees the nation’s name which reminds Him of her. Interesting isn't that God says that His people are inscribed on His palms? The imagery is clear to those of us who know that Christ hung on the cross by His palms (which history tells us that the wrist was considered part of the palm in Jewish thought and that the Romans hung people on the cross below the wrist bone to avoid the body ripping free from the cross - not to mention that it was prophesied that not a bone of Christ's body would be broken). Isaiah foreshadowed the crucifixion 700 years before Christ! Are we not inscribed on the palms of Christ? He will never forget us, leave us or forsake us. I don't want to forget Jacob. Everyday I will be reminded of him and of the love that God showered on our family through him. Already the boys are interested in it and will continue to remember their brother through this writing on my wrist. Joshua ran in and woke me up this morning and said, "Come on Dad! Wake up! Let me see your tattoo!"