1 Corinthians 11:1-16 KJV
1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
2 Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.
3 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.
4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.
5 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.
6 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.
7 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.
8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.
11 Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.
12 For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.
13 Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?
14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
16 But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.

When reading Paul's writting a woman is surely to get mad, especially when the claim is woman must have hair for a covering. Is it a sin for a woman to be bald on her head if God made her that way? Paul argument is if a woman has not hair then it dishonoureth her head when praying or prophesing. That if she shaved she needs to be covered. Now some culture a bald head woman is not wrong and if you preach in these areas they are to at the minium teach they ought to be covered they going to want to know why is it so important. Then you got places were woman live who have extremely long hair but it does not make them righteous. Argument of Paul is so extreme that man is from God and woman is of man, speaking of how man and woman was created. Yet the argument goes on to saying all things are of God. Now if you go to the second and third verses of this passage it speaking of the order of the church of man being literally over woman. Man not being equal to woman in the eyes of God. No it says it but their untruth in Paul statement but because the bride of Christ includes the men. Men are not equal to Christ. Woman is created out of the rib of man by who God.

The reality woman made from a part of man, but man being part of the earth, a part of destruction. Okay let stop we can go like that all day. When God created woman from man, he did so she would always be part of man, as his word his Son Jesus is part of him. God breathed the breath of life in man, he became part of man by life flow being in his nostrils to his lungs and out of his mouth. God's breath being in woman the same way. Both having a part of God but man and woman being part of each other.

Is there a pecking order so to speak. An order in which one should rule over another, some interpret it that way. Deborah lead the military but was not the winner of the war less Barack be called the winner because she was with him, because one he would not go without her, nor would he fight without Deborah beside him, because his reliance was on woman and not God. Man failing to lead cause women to stand and a woman name Jael would win the war when she killed her husban(Judges 4 the whole story).

We fail to see that Paul analogue of ettiquettes in the church is not really about covering and respect but about who authority in the church, whether it be truly Christ or because man is said to be in charge over woman that the roles in Corinthian church is such, but the peeking order of the Jewish Temple in regards to tradition of covering. Even woman had a role in worship, even taught at times. Yet there was a "peeking order by tradition". That tradition was carried out by Paul because of his Jewish heritage. If one separates Jewish religious laws by traditions is woman out of order for teaching. Only if no man available to teach, not exactly that either. Is woman outline by what garments she wears?

A cousin of mine early on the morning of the coronation of King of England King Charles, decide to watch it in its entirety. As she said she was not wearing her pearls or dress to the hilt to do so, yet it if had been her grandmother she would have. been sitting in front of the tv with all the fancy dress wear for the occasion, even though it was in front of the tv. Some of the old folks in ancient tvland did that, dress for whatever they were watching. It sounds comical but in the day we live in not so comical with cameras in places no one knows who is watching the world. There is a point tradition of people whether absents or present for event in person still being upheld for the occasion.

If I said God not worried about woman being bald or shaved, how many woman would go out and shave their heads to the dislike of their husbands. I will tell you this does it matter our attire before God, after all Adam and Eve would not of been naked in the garden if it mattered. God gave Adam and Eve a fur coat/skin for a covering in the land beyond the gates of paradise. He did not thrust them in to the cold without a coat.

We can not cover our sin, nor can we hide from God on our own. Yet God gave man a covering and those without covering of hair is not without the ability to be a child of God because of it or without the ability to pray, or without the ability to prophesize.

Is the covering of sin important, one should not prophesy or pray without the covering of Christ over them. To allow someone to do so in the church in the sanctuary is sacreligious. To not be covered by the blood of Christ is the sin in the sanctuary of the congregation. Yet Paul uses hair and not the blood covering comparison. Yet it was not sin for man to preach bald headed. Yet his question came was it a sin for man to have long hair. By Jewish custom a man did not shave his head as a nazarite until his task God had called him to was done. Now is Jewish custom men did have long hair but when it was shaved it often was a sign of mourning, and other culture shave Jewish head to dishonor them.

The covering represented the holiness of God and the unholiness of man, and yet man is made holy by the shed blood of Jesus Christ for all those that receive Christ atonement for sin. Paul argument is about tradition that can cause sin in the church if yielded to it by customs. Custom becoming the stumbling block to the believer despite what Christ has done for man. Even Moses wore a veil but the veil was not between God and him but him and the group of people in which he spoke for his face shined so bright the people were afraid. Our covering is for our protection from the people, yet tradition will not protect even if woman wear their hair long or a covering over their head? Our house is but clay, and the Holy Spirit indwells us and in our heart supping with our Spirit our flesh being our covering, our hair being our covering by tradition of the early church and influenced by Jewish culture, but it is only a tradition. Now hopefully no woman shows up in church with nothing but hair for covering, though i seen hair long enough to wrap around a person to the point of hidding their nudity. Our covering being Christ atoning work in our our life by sanctification of his word flowing in our heart and soul, purging the sin from us daily.

Corinthian is wrestling with tradition but Paul does not rebuke it but embraces it here. Living in America traditions are often cast away when they seem no longer of value. One tradition of the early church was not to change and that was the serving of the cup and the bread, and yet some churches have cast that away to only certain times of the month and year.

Paul clear that tradition of headcovering is a tradition, not sacrilege if not done. Yet to be without Christ covering would be the sin in the church. Why because it too will destroy the church by taking and putting wolves in the pulpit. Paul does not tell all this in one chapter nor in the entire book of first and second Corinthians. This is a passage that taken literally without full study of the word of God it would be shame for a woman be bald. Yet there are woman bald by health reason, and because of traditons of how they themselves dress in their society. For that reason salvation is the covering any woman ever needs, but please dress accordingly to custom.

When you hit a snag in scripture study, ask yourself tradition or fact, is the tradition to express something spiritually if it is then we need to ask is it necessary. Better to toss tradition out and receive spiritual truth behind it, then to be caught uncovered by Christ in his pulpit. Did my ancestors know something about what tvs would be capable of and hope to perserve the sanctity of the home, perhaps. Technology has proven there is no privacy in our land not even in our homes. No matter how careful we are to protect ourselves. Maybe my ancestors were right to dress in front of the tv in fancy attire.

We can only protect ourselves in connection to the things of man at that is to a point, God protection and covering is for a life time through Christ Jesus. God's covering is invisible, the sanctification process a continual work of the Holy Spirit in our life for our continual covering through and by God's Holy Word. Christ paid our sin debt, we need to continue to be purged through his continue work of his word.

Dear Heavenly Father thank you for traditions that seem vain, but let us not hold to traditions if they cause others to slip and fall that have no spiritual ramfications. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Hebrews 10:16-24 KJV
16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: