THE KING’S BUSINESS
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make us to think that the angels are there looking on. Monday, Nov. ig. i Cor. i i : i i , 12 . Though the woman is subordinate to the man, man must not look down upon her, even if she is subordinate to him. The woman does not realize God’s idea of womanhood “without the man” ; but neither does man realize God’s idea of manhood “without the woman” (v. 11). Both man and woman are imperfect without the other. It was man as both “male and female” that man was created in the likeness of God (Gen. 1:27), And “in the Lord” they are both incomplete without one another. As the woman is “out of the man,” being made from his very body, so the man is “from the woman” (the word translated “by” in v. 12 should be translated “through”), that is, he is born by means of her. But, as to their ultimate origin, both man and woman, and indeed “all things” are “out of God.” God is the source of all (cf. Rom. 11:36; 2 Cor.-5:18). Tuesday, Nov. 20 . • Cor. n : 13 - 16 . Paul appeals to their own sense of pro priety as to whether it is a seemly thing for a woman to “pray unto God unveiled.” Let it never be forgotten for a moment that Paul never had a modern hat or bon net in mind as a covering, nor even an ancient poke bonnet, but a simple veil, the natural expression of woman’s reserve and retirement from bold publicity and self- assertion. Long hair, nature’s covering for a woman, we all feel to be out of place in a man, and therefore a disgrace to him; but it is the fitting thing for a woman, “it is her glory.” Thus our own instincts teach us that woman should be to some extent covered and hidden from view and not in the place of publicity. The artificial head covering is an expression of the same fact. How severely this all bears upon the modern “society woman’s” exposure not only of her head but of her neck and arms and more. There were those even in Paul’s day who were disposed to contest this
exactly “out of.” The woman came “out o f ’ the man, that is, had her origin from man (Gen. 2:23) not the man “out of the woman.” Furthermore, the woman was created for man’s sake (Gen. 2:18), not the man for the woman’s sake. So man is first in God’s plan and providence and the woman subordinate. Nevertheless, the woman who was created for plan’s welfare, is fully man’s equal. She was made “an helpmeet for (that is, necessary to, or, equal to) him” (Gen. 2:18). In the Chris tian dispensation, at least, the woman is oftentimes man’s superior intellectually, morally and spiritually. Notwithstanding woman’s intellectual, moral and spiritual superiority to man, her divinely appointed position is that of subordination, and it is her ruin to fight against that which God in His infinity wisdom and love had ordained for her. Man does not suffer as much as woman does when she gets out of her place. But while the woman’s place is that of subordination to man, subordination is not intended to be servitude (Eph. S:25- 28; 1 Peter 3:7). It is because the woman is under authority by God’s own appoint ment that she should have the “sign of authority upon her head” in the assembly (v. 10 R. V.). Paul gives a deeply signifi cant reason why woman should have “the sign of authority upon her head” in the assembly. He says she should have this “because of the angels.”' What does this teach ? It means that the angels are pres ent at the gatherings of the church (cf. Ps. 138:1, where “Gods” mean angels). We may not know it, but nevertheless they are there. The angels observe the order of Christian gatherings and are pleased when matters are conducted according to God’s plan. Therefore the woman for the sake of the angels, who are looking on, should take her divinely appointed place and wear the sign of her subordination, the head covering. The profound interest that angels take in church matter is taught elsewhere in scripture (1 Cor. 4:9; Eph. 3:10; cf. Eccl. 5 : 6 ) . How careful about the con duct of our church gatherings it should
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