Devotional - God's Design

Good morning everyone. I am looking forward to an excellent day in my service to the Lord, I pray you are as well. We are moving on to 1 Corinthians 11 today.

So what does one say about something that is unclear to one? Nothing. I am not even going to pretend that I understand everything that is revealed in the Word of God. With most things I am still a surface dweller. I desire a deeper, greater understanding of the Word of God. I want this by the revelation of the Spirit of God. So I will admit that I do not understand why the subject of head coverings is here.

Some will tell you that it is just a culture issue but then that is putting the Word of God on the shelf next to other outdated books. I believe that everything in the Word of God has been given to us with a purpose in mind. We cannot just dismiss sections of the Word claiming it is outdated. This becomes a dangerous thing and opens the door for us to start dismissing great chunks of this precious revelation.

My suspicion is that it is more the teaching on the relationship between male and female than it has anything to do with head coverings. This relationship is not slavery and Paul goes to great lengths to explain the duties of husband and wife to each other in this letter as well as others. But there is an order in the relationship and the male was always intended to lead the female in that relationship. That is the design and it hasn't changed. I know this is not an easy subject because there are natural women leaders and our history has been blessed by them but it is a position of strength when the stronger woman submits herself to the leadership of a weaker male. I know many of you will disagree with me but consider Paul's argument:

For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. v. 8-9

However, it is not always the fault of the woman that she ends up in charge. Sometimes she is left with no choice when her husband refuses to take the lead. Too many men are too willing to give up the responsibility of leadership and leave it to their wives. It is not saying their wives are not capable, but it is the husband's responsibility.

Now the part that is easier to deal with is our relationship in the Lord:

In the Lord, however, 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. vv. 11-12

This is a point that Paul like to raise in a few of his letters:

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

If you are having problems digesting the first part then set it aside until the Spirit makes it clearer for you. In the meantime take strength from the second part; in the Lord there is no greater nor lesser, we are all children of God. As children of God we have Dad's attention all the time. Let us take our delight and joy in this truth and wait on the things we do not yet understand.