10. Q.-Will you please explain the passage in 1 Corinthians
i. 5:—" Every woman praying or prophesying with her I Lead uncovered dishonoureth her head;" and verse 13, " Is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?" J. G.
J.—In order to understand the force of the teachings of the apostle in these verses attention must be given to verse 3, which forms the groundwork, so to speak, of what succeeds it. “ I would have you know," he says, " that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man: and the head of Christ is God." We have given us here the divine order, and relative position of man and woman, which was to have its recognition and display in the assembly. Man praying and prophesying in the assembly, did it in the presence of his risible Head-Christ, and whom he represented, and to have covered his head would have been to dishonor Christ as his Head; for, a covering being the visible sign of subjection to another, it would have looked as if he were praying or prophesying in recognition of some other head than Christ, and was not conscious of representing Him.
Now the woman's head is man, and in praying or prophesying she was to recognize her visible head, and thus a visible sign of her subjection to him was to be worn. This is the meaning of verse 10, where it is said, "For this cause ought the woman t o have power (the sign of subjection to man) on her head, because of the angels." Angels who are the observers of God",,, ways in the assembly, as well as in creation, should see i the woman, the intelligent recognition of the position in which God has placed her with reference to the man.
The point here is not whether the woman may actually pray or prophesy in public, but the outward appearance she is to bear in the presence of men in the assembly while praying and prophesying are going on. To find in these passages authority for women praying and speaking in public, as is often done, is to pervert the plain teaching of the passage, as it might with a much reason be inferred that it was only while man was actually praying or speaking he was to take off his hat, or in other words that all the men in the assembly were to be there with their heads covered save the one actually praying or speaking. The simple meaning of the apostle, we believe, to he this, that when assembled before God with Christ in
their midst, all the men were to be uncovered as the sign of their recognition of His presence as their Head; and in like manner all the women, when so gathered, were to have their heads covered, as a recognition of their sense of being in the. presence of their head.
Having laid down authoritatively the divine order on this point in verse 13, he appeals to the Corinthians to judge for themselves from the analogy of nature whether it was comely that women should when in the assembly, where God was recognized and looked to in prayer, have their heads uncovered. And here again, " pray unto God," does not mean audibly addressing God. Women silently lifting their hearts to God, or when joining in the Spirit-given prayer that some man, as the mouth-piece for all, is uttering, are surely praying to God, and therefore should be covered with something in addition to their hair, which according to nature was given them apart from any question of God's presence in the assembly, as a veil or covering before men. From nature itself, then, they should have learned what was fitting in the assembly without the apostle having formally to prescribe it in teaching.
Though we have only touched upon these principles as they apply to the assembly, we do not think they are to be limited to this, but have also a more general application, and should regulate the conduct of women when ostensibly before God in the presence of men anywhere, and this we gather from 1 Tim. 2:8-148I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. 9In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; 10But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. 11Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. (1 Timothy 2:8‑14).
A.-Samuel was not a priest, but was a prophet raised up on the breakdown, and consequent temporary setting aside of the priesthood, to maintain in grace communications between God and the people, when the normal relationship between Him and them was interrupted, under His judgment of their state. How could there be priesthood when the ark of the covenant, the ground of all their relationship with God and the basis of priesthood, was lost to them, and in the hands of the Philistines? 1 Sam. 2:35,35And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever. (1 Samuel 2:35) according to the type, had its fulfillment under Solomon. (See 1 Kings 2:27,3527So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the Lord; that he might fulfil the word of the Lord, which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh. (1 Kings 2:27)
35And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host: and Zadok the priest did the king put in the room of Abiathar. (1 Kings 2:35).) It will have its complete and final fulfillment when Christ shall be King in Jerusalem, and Ezek. 44:1515But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord God: (Ezekiel 44:15) has reference to the establish ment of the priesthood according to this prophecy.