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HEAD COVERING - CUSTOM OR ORDINANCE?

( A Bible study by brother Tarran Dookie)

SUBMISSION TO AUTHORITY

Gen.6:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Gen.6:16  Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

 1 Tim.2:11-15  Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.  For Adam was first formed, then Eve.  And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.  Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

1 Cor.11:1-9  Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.  For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.  Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.

According to 1 Tim.2:14 Adam was not deceived but the woman was deceived. She  was the one  who was beguiled by Satan. Notice that it was only after the fall that Eve is told ‘thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee’. Therefore Paul  declares ‘the head of the woman is the man’.

 
What does head covering depict? It depicts the submission of the woman to the man even as the man must submit to the headship of Christ. Head covering is about authority. The woman is not to have authority over the man. In these days of ‘women’s liberation’ this may be difficult for some sisters in Christ to accept. But we are not dealing with  a mere first century situation but with the eternal word of God. When a woman puts on a head covering she is saying that she submits to the authority of the man and ultimately to the authority of Christ. Observe that in 1 Cor.11:3 Paul does not say the head of the wife is the husband but rather the head of the woman is the man. Of course the husband is the head of the wife (Eph.5:23). But Paul in 1 Corinthians 11 is not talking about husband and wife but rather man and woman. Therefore even the unmarried sister must have a head covering. 

 
The apostle teaches that if the woman is uncovered it is just as if she were shaven. Further he states that if she be not covered let her also be shorn. According to 1 Cor.11:15 the woman’s hair is given her for a covering. Therefore Paul is saying that if the woman refuses to put  on the symbolic head covering she should shave off the natural covering which is her hair. The woman who refuses to cover her head is in effect refusing to submit to the authority of God and God is saying let such an one be shaved, displaying her shame.

 
Some contend that the hair is the covering and no other covering is necessary. Let us examine the passage (1 Cor.11: 1-16) to see if hair is the covering Paul is referring to. Verse 4 reads ‘Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.’ Am I to conclude that only bald-headed men can pray aright? If hair is the covering then men must shave their head, since the passage says that it is a dishonour for the man praying or prophesying to have his head covered. 

     

Verses 5 to 6 reads ‘But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.’ If hair is the covering then Paul is saying that if the woman be not covered (that is has no hair), let her also be shorn. Imagine trying to shave a bald-headed woman.   

                      

Verse 15 does say that ‘... her hair is given her for a covering.’ However, the scriptures do not play tic-tac-toe with one another. The woman’s hair is a covering, not the only covering . Verses 4-6 become highly nonsensical if hair is the only covering Paul was referring to. Clearly another covering is required of believing sisters, a symbolic head covering (head wear if you want to call it that).
 
 

SATAN’S REBELLION

Is.14:12-15  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. (See also Ez.28:11-17.)

Rev.12:4  And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

Jude 6  And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

1 Cor.11: 10  For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.

Lucifer, who was the son of the morning, wanted to be like the most high God and because of his rebellion he fell from heaven. But Lucifer was not alone for he led one-third of the angels in this rebellion. These disobedient rebellious angels were also cast  out from heaven. Angels also disobeyed God when they left their own habitation and married the daughters of men and giants were born (Gen.6:1-4). Again God punished them for their disobedience. Angelic disobedience amounted to rebellion against God’s authority and rule.

 
Whenever a woman puts on the head covering she is proclaiming a message to the angels. She reproves the angels of Satan declaring that she will submit to the authority  of God, even though they did not. She also causes rejoicing among the angels of God who are obedient and submissive to the authority of God. Such is the power of the covering on the head. ‘For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.’
 

IS IT COMELY?

1 Cor.11:11-15.  Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God. Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?  Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?  But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.

 
It ought to be obvious from what has been discussed so far that the answer to Paul’s question ‘is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?’ is no, it is not comely. Paul says a man ought not to have long hair but if a woman has long hair it is a glory to her. Sisters in Christ should treasure the natural God-given covering and in the submission that pleases God put on the symbolic head covering.
 

THE CUSTOM OF BEING CONTENTIOUS

Acts 17:16-21    Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him. Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?  For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.  (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)

Rom.1:29  Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers.

2 Tim. 2: 23  But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.

Tit.3:9  But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.

1Cor.1:19-20  For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.  Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

1Cor.11:16   But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.

Both Athens and Corinth were part of Achaia and were near each other. Athens was famous for its Areopagus where much debate and disputings occurred as Paul found out. Corinth was no different being in such close proximity to Athens. Paul asks the Corinthians ‘where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?’ In Athens and Corinth and other parts of the Roman Empire debate or being contentious was a custom or practice. Paul wrote on more than one occasion against this custom or practice of being contentious and full of debate.

 
As Paul instructs the Corinthians to observe this ordinance of head covering he was aware that some would argue or be contentious. But he tells them that ‘we have no such custom, neither the churches of God’. Neither the apostles not the churches of God entertained the custom of being contentious. Instead they disapproved of the custom of being contentious. To suppose that the custom of 1 Cor.11:16 refers to head covering is a massive misunderstanding undoubtedly introduced by the rebellious one himself, even Satan. Paul would not spend 15 verses to establish head covering and in the next verse dismiss it as a custom. But such is the wisdom of this world. 

A DIVINE ORDINANCE

It is mere conjecture to suppose that someone wrote Paul about a specific problem and he gave these instructions as a solution. It is mere conjecture to suppose that women were praying and prophesying publicly and folks were getting upset and  that this was the apostle’s response. The ordinance of head covering as laid down by the apostle Paul must not be confused with a custom or culture of the first century. Do you think the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write these 16 verses to address a cultural situation. I repeat: we are not dealing with a first century situation but with the eternal word of God. I have seen people referring to Paul as a male chauvinist because of what he said about head covering and the role of women in the church.

 
Head covering has nothing to do with a first century custom. The ordinance laid down by the apostle has to do with submission to God’s authority. If believers were to ask their grandmothers or mothers in some cases if women of their day covered their heads in the church they will tell you that they did. The ladies in the churches only started to throw off the head covering with the advent of the women’s liberation movement ( one of Satan’s effective tools). 

 
Let us recognise that head covering is a divine ordinance to be observed among God’s children today. Let every sister in Christ have this power on her head. Let every brother in Christ encourage and admonish his sisters in Christ to have their heads covered. Let us all submit to the authority of Christ Jesus. Amen.

Believers in Christ Jesus may freely copy, use and distribute this Bible study. Under no circumstances must it be sold. Freely ye have received, freely give.

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