There is Contemptuous Worship to Avoid or Repent Of
This point sums up the third opening statement leading up to the apostle’s arguments in support of the symbol of authority, which symbol is a covering on the head of woman in the churches of God. Verses 4 and 5: “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.”
In verse 3, the heads are authority figures. In verses 4 and 5, we have both literal and figurative heads. We now learn that literal heads, when covered or uncovered, bring either honor or dishonor to heads of authority. The man who worships with his literal head covered dishonors his head (Christ.) The woman who worships with her literal head uncovered dishonors her head (man.) This last part is what was at issue in Corinth. It was, and is, a serious issue because man is ‘the image and glory of God’ (verse 7.) The image and glory of God, then, should be uncovered and shown, while the inferior glory of man (the woman, verse 7), should be covered and hidden. Since the canon of authority is still in effect, the head of man (Christ) and the head of woman (the man) may still be dishonored by improper worship, which is why the apostle will argue for the practice of the head covering, or symbol of power, from a variety of angles. If one link in the chain is broken, be it by man or woman being improperly attired, there is dishonor to figures of authority through disobedience. We know from the passage as a whole that disobedient women were the problem. Men had heads uncovered, while women (perhaps not all of them) did not bother to cover theirs. Disobedience regarding the symbols of sacrifice (the wine and the bread) happens when we do not appreciate the Saviour. Disobedience concerning the symbol of authority (the head covering) happens when we do not regard his Lordship. What we do with our literal heads is spiritually significant. There is a mystical reality involved in the symbol; this is one reason why, therefore, we should not be surprised that angels are discussed in relation to it. The gospel—even ‘the fellowship of the mystery’—is revealed, even to angels, according to the ‘eternal purpose’ of God ‘in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Ephesians 3.9-11); and the symbol of power has much to do with that.
If women are to be covered while praying and prophesying, we infer that they may pray and prophesy. In what sense may they do this? Since women are commanded to be silent in church, and to wait until they get home before they ask questions about what was taught in church (1 Corinthians 14.34, 35), there is little room left for them to say anything while in church. And that would make no sense, would it, if a woman were permitted to occupy a pulpit, to have to be quiet while in it, and then to have to wait until later to find out what was taught from it? But a woman is permitted to pray in church. This may be done silently in response to what is preached. Here is an example of silent prayer: “Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard” (1 Samuel 1.13.) Or, since a congregation might pray out loud during church, as in responsive praying, the woman should be covered while doing it. A place of worship is a ‘house of prayer’ (Matthew 21.13.) The woman should be covered while she’s in it. As for prophesying, W. E. Vine says that this means the ‘speaking forth of the mind and counsel of God.’ Who can argue with that? Therefore, if an exceptional circumstance presents itself, and a woman has to prophesy, she has to be covered while doing it. That could happen in the apostles’ days, for women did prophesy during that wondrous era, in fulfillment of what the prophet Joel predicted: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions” (Joel 2.28.) Joel 2.28 is obviously fulfilled by the events related in Acts 2.1-18; and it may be that even the apocalyptic verses of that chapter of Joel, verses 30 and 31, are fulfilled also, if we take figures like the sun turning to darkness and the moon turning to blood in an evangelical sense: as figures of speech denoting the ‘fear’ that came upon souls when ‘wonders and signs were done by the apostles’ (Acts 2.43.) I will not say that that passage from Joel does not point past Pentecost. But that it was essentially fulfilled on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 is compellingly obvious because it says as much in verse 16: “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel.” If any sort of prophesying may be done in church by women today, what would be the purpose? The prophecy of daughters prophesying has been fulfilled; and now we have the completed New Testament that, through the preaching and teaching of men, is supposed to inform us of all that we need to learn. If the men are not doing this very well—and they are not—that is no excuse for women to speak, teach, or preach. They have access to books. And they should be praying for holy men to be raised up by God to properly minister his word.
In verse 3 the apostle states that man has a head before he states that woman has a head. In the next two verses he teaches how man dishonors his head before he teaches how woman dishonors hers, even though the problem in the church at Corinth was uncovered women. The apostle does a lot of bending and bowing to prompt women to conform. Verses 4 and 5 present parallel lines. The man whose head is covered dishonors his head. The woman whose head is uncovered dishonors her head. But the verse about the woman continues with a clause: “for that is even all one as if she were shaven.” By this we suspect that the passage will focus on the issue as it pertains to women. Therefore let us highlight that clause for the purpose: “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.”
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