We will be finishing up this section today regarding the custom in Paul's day of women covering their heads in worship. We will look at why Paul says it is shameful for a man to have long hair, and we will also take a look at a puzzling statement Paul makes regarding the need for a woman to cover her head "because of the angels".
"A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man." (1 Corinthians 11:7-8) The Apostle Paul has received a great deal of criticism over the centuries, with his detractors claiming he is a woman-hater. I don't believe that is the case at all. We took note in our study of his letter to the Romans how much he valued the work of women in the church. He took time to greet several females by name, some of which he referred to as a "deacon" or "apostle". Even in our current chapter we don't want to miss the fact that although he states a woman should cover her head in worship because she is under the authority of her husband, he also says her head is to be covered when she prophesies. (verse 5) This indicates that Paul recognizes and respects the prophetic office of women just as he recognizes and respects the prophetic office of men. The woman in the church is not pushed to the side or treated as if her service to the Lord is not valuable. She is simply advised to serve the Lord with modesty of dress, and modesty of dress in Paul's day included a veil over the hair.
God created the man before He created the woman. Adam lived in the Garden of Eden for an undisclosed amount of time before the Lord created Eve. Adam built a relationship with the Lord before he became a husband. Adam was instructed by the Lord before he became a husband. This is the example the Lord has set down for Christian marriage: a man should already have a relationship with the Lord prior to marriage; a man should be capable of setting a spiritual example for his wife and children; a man should be willing and committed to fulfilling the office of godly leadership in the home. Because God created Adam before He created Eve, Paul says God intended for the man to be the spiritual leader of the home. Adam had to instruct his wife in everything he had learned about the Lord before Eve was created. The husband ought to have such a close relationship with the Lord that he will be able to instruct his wife in godly living. If the wife needs advice about a decision or needs someone to pray with her, her husband ought to be the first person she can turn to for spiritual support. The best Christian partner a woman has should be her husband. I want to stop here and tell any Christian married man who might be reading this study today that if you are not the first person your wife thinks of when she needs spiritual support, you need to grow closer to the Lord. Your wife should not have to call up another family member, a friend, or the church pastor when she needs someone to pray with her or encourage her in the faith. She should come straight to you, because you are called by the Lord to be her partner in Christian living.
Now Paul makes a puzzling statement. "It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels." (1 Corinthians 11:10) Scholars have debated and disagreed on this verse for a very long time, so we are not going to be able to come to any definite conclusion about it. Many scholars believe Paul is referring to a portion of Scripture from Genesis, where some of the angels sinned against the Lord and mated with human women. (Genesis 6:1-4) The scholars who hold this opinion believe Paul is saying that women should veil their hair as a sign to the angels that they belong to the Lord. They are under the authority of their husbands and they are under the authority of Christ. This tells the angels they are off limits.
I am not sure I fully agree with this theory as I don't believe the Scriptures indicate we are in danger today of being seduced by angels. It does seem as if such a sin was committed by some of the fallen angels prior to the flood, but no mention is made in the Scriptures of a continuing problem of angels consorting with humans. I do think Paul could be using the angels as an example to remind the Christian women of Corinth that if even angels were tempted to sin because of female beauty, human men are going to be tempted to sin by female beauty. So I think he may be saying something like, "Keep in mind how powerful beauty is. Even some of the angels sinned against the Lord in order to possess beautiful women. As women who belong to Christ, you should dress in such a way that your virtue is evident to all. Men should not feel free to approach you and make indecent proposals. You should not dress in a way that dishonors the Lord or embarrasses your husband. You are the daughters of the Most High God; don't let anyone forget it!"
He does not want his readers to think men don't need women or that women don't need men. God created both sexes because both sexes are necessary. Both sexes are necessary for the continuation of the human race, and both sexes are necessary in the church because both sexes possess different gifts and abilities. "Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God." (1 Corinthians 11:11-12)
"Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice---nor do the churches of God." (1 Corinthians 11:13-16) It could be that Paul is cautioning the men not to appear effeminate. Just as many of the immoral pagan women of Corinth wore their hair uncovered and even shaved their heads, it could be that many of the immoral pagan men of Corinth wore long feminine hairstyles. In the Roman world, female prostitution and male prostitution was legal. In the Roman world, both men and women could visit either type of prostitute. Men could be married to a woman while openly keeping a male "mistress" on the side, and these male mistresses sometimes wore the hairstyles and the clothing styles of women. Even two of Emperor Nero's marriages were to men: in one wedding he married an effeminate eunuch who he referred to as his "wife"; in the other wedding Nero dressed as the bride. I think Paul is saying something like this to the Christian men of Corinth, "Just because the culture you live in allows men to look like women doesn't mean you should let your hair grow long. If you do you will look worldly and will be confused for pagan men. You are the sons of the living God; you should not be mistaken for idolaters. You should not be mistaken for men who engage in sexual immorality."
If we are to take anything away from our study of head coverings in the church, we are to keep in mind that even in our modern times we should observe modest and acceptable customs in the church. We should appear to the world as what we are: the children of God. We should not dress or behave in such a way as to confuse the world about our identity. We must in every way and in all things honor the Lord Jesus Christ. He gave His life to redeem us and make us holy.
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