“Head Covering”, Is it necessary for Religious gatherings?

The question of whether women should wear a head covering during religious meetings and worship services is one that has been overlooked or ignored by the leadership in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Today with the cultural climate demanding roles for women that God specifically appointed for men such as the issue of ordination of female ministers and elders, it seems appropriate to call for revival and reformation back to the Bible standard where the woman is told to not usurp authority over the man (1 Tim. 2:12).

Paul’s writings seem difficult to understand in our day in the manner Jews perceived them two centuries ago. This can be seen in the eleventh chapter of 1 Corinthians verses 3-15. These verses have turned out to cause some Seventh-Day Adventists believers to be an “eyesore” and extremists at religious gatherings. Ministers have failed to bring justice to this subject of reverence. God is not quite on this important subject on proper reverence during prayer and worship services. In this regard we would like to share the following inspired commentary first published in 1935 that explains the meaning of what constitutes the covering that a woman should have when she prays.

“Our attention is called to another great neglect on the part of God’s people. Says the Holy Spirit, “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.” (1 Cor. 11:3.) Note the way the chain of divinity links humanity — God, Christ, the man, the woman. “Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoreth his head [God]. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head [the man]: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. 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. 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. For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.” (verses 4-9.)

The above scripture teaches that a man ought to take his hat off when praying or prophesying (teaching the Scriptures) while the woman should put hers on. Why? Because the head of the man is God but the head of the woman is the man. If the man covers his head he dishonors God. Hence, if the woman uncovers her head when praying she dishonors her head — the man, and by dishonoring the man she dishonors God, for the man is the “image and glory of God.” Moreover, the covering of the woman’s head when approaching God symbolically sets the man — (her head) aside and thus comes before God

Do not conclude by reading verse 15 that the woman’s hair is the covering above required, for if that be the case, then the man should shave his head in order to make the distinction between the two, and as we know that man has never been required to shave his head, it proves that the woman’s covering when praying is not her hair but her hat or some other head covering. Again, if the Spirit of God is teaching that the woman’s hair is the covering above required, why say, When “praying or prophesying”? How could she take off her hair (covering) when not praying unless she wears a wig? Can she put on or remove her natural hair at random? Furthermore, as women never bobbed their hair in Paul’s time, it would have been unnecessary to ask them to leave it on, and again he says, “If the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn or shaven. These words plainly lay down the rule that if the woman is neither shorn nor shaven, then “let her be covered.” In these verses is stated that the “woman having long hair, it is a glory to her.” Therefore, the covering of her hair also denotes humbling before God or, as it were, laying aside her glory.

When asking grace at meals it may not be necessary to follow this rule, but it certainly is essential when teaching or worshipping whether it be at home or in church.

“God leads His people on, step by step. He brings them up to different points calculated to manifest what is in the heart. Some endure at one point, but fall off at the next. At every advanced point the heart is tested and tried a little closer. If the professed people of God find their hearts opposed to this straight work, it should convince them that they have a work to do to overcome, if they would not be spewed out of the mouth of the Lord. Said the Angel, ‘God will bring His work closer and closer to test and prove every one of His people.’ Some are willing to receive one point; but when God brings them to another testing point, they shrink from it and stand back, because they find that it strikes directly at some cherished idol. Here they have opportunity to see what is in their hearts that shuts out Jesus. They prize something higher than the truth, and their hearts are not prepared to receive Jesus. Individuals are tested and proved a length of time to see if they will sacrifice their idols and heed the counsel of the True Witness. If any will not be purified through obeying the truth, and overcome their selfishness, their pride, and evil passions, the angels of God have the charge, ‘They are joined to their idols, let them alone,’ and they pass on to their work, leaving these with their sinful traits unsubdued, to the control of evil angels. Those who come up to every point, and stand every test, and overcome, be the price what it may, have heeded the counsel of the True Witness, and they will receive the latter rain, and thus be fitted for translation.” — “Testimonies for the,Church,” Vol. 1, p. 187.

Taken from: Symbolic Code, Vol. 1, No. 15, pp. 2, 3

Tagged as: 1 Corinthians 11:3-15, Glory of a woman, Head covering, Reverence at church, Women praying, women worshipping