Now in verse 3 the Spirit of God through the Apostle 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.” This then is God’s order of power. God has a place for each (man and woman) and surely it is not grievous to abide in that place. Man has his place as God’s representative on earth — “the image and glory of God.” The woman also has a distinctive place — not the place of prominence, but the place of subjection according to God’s order. She can, however, glorify God in her appointed place. Man can, and alas does, sadly fail in properly filling his place, but he is in it just the same. He should seek to act before God in his place, and she should be happy to fill hers. Each should deem it a privilege to occupy the place assigned by God.
God has established a certain order throughout His creation. Christian men and women are not to neglect this order, but to remember that they are a divinely appointed spectacle — yes, a spectacle even to angels (v. 10). Angels are learning the wisdom of God, being spectators of His ways. The fact that they witness God’s ways down here is also mentioned in 1 Corinthians 4:9 and Ephesians 3:1010To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, (Ephesians 3:10).
Now there is a very simple rule to follow which will demonstrate the place the man has. He is not to pray or prophesy (communicate the mind of God to others) with a covering on his head. To have his head covered would spoil the demonstration before others of God’s appointed place for him. It would be the mark of his abandoning the place of authority, and would leave no visible head.
The rule for the woman is just as simple; she is not to pray or prophesy without having a covering on her head. If she prays without a covering on her head, she dishonors her head. It would be disorder, to be witnessed by angels. The covering on her head is the outward sign of her subjection. A sister’s prophesying, of course, is restricted by other scriptures. She must not do so in the assembly (1 Cor. 14:34), neither is she to teach nor to usurp authority over the man (1 Tim. 2:12).
The fact that the simple direction about covering the head is generally disregarded in Christendom does not excuse any from following it. Some turn this portion aside by ascribing its authorship to Paul, but the Spirit of God was the divine Author, and Paul only the penman. He said that the things he wrote “are the commandments of the Lord.” 1 Cor. 14:37. If this be true, then it is a serious matter to resist them.
Listen to the strong language used:
“For if a woman be not covered, let her hair also be cut off. But if it be shameful to a woman to have her hair cut off or to be shaved, let her be covered.” v. 6 JND.
What woman would want her head shaved! She would be publicly disgraced and would hide herself. Well then, says the Word of God, let her put a covering on her head when praying or prophesying.
It is not a matter of superiority and inferiority but of relative positions in the creation. God in His wisdom has assigned a place to each as it has pleased Him, and blessed are they who acknowledge such and seek wisdom and direction from His Word for becoming conduct in that place.
The Apostle, by the Spirit, went back to the creation to establish God’s order from the beginning. The order and purpose of the creation is set forth as the ground for woman’s subjection to man (vv. 8,9). Then in verses 14 and 15 he appeals to what we learn from observing nature. This shows the appropriateness of a woman’s having her head covered when praying. Nature teaches that long hair is a glory to a woman (how sad when Christian women cut it to be like the world), and signified a certain place of retirement. She was not to show herself with the boldness of men. Her hair was given her “in lieu of a veil” (v. 15 JND). It marked a retiring, subordinate place in God’s creation. This was God’s doing, and has its own blessing where it is not set aside by the will of men. We must remember that in the “new creation” there is neither male nor female, but all are one in Christ Jesus. That, however, is not the point here, but the respective places of each in this world before the eyes of others — even of angels.