1 Corinthians 11 (2)

Pray Psalm 73.25-28.
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.
But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
That I may declare all Your works.

Sing Psalm 73.25-28.
(Ellacombe: Hosanna, Loud Hosanna)
Then what have I in heav’n above but You, my God and Lord?
And on this earth what shall I love besides You and Your Word?
My flesh and heart shall surely fail, and death my soul release;
Your strength for me will e’er avail and grant eternal peace.

Then let them perish who depart from You and from Your Word.
All those unfaithful in their heart You shall destroy, O LORD!
But as for me, Your nearness, LORD, is where I e’er will dwell!
I hide myself within Your Word, Your wondrous works to tell.

Read 1 Corinthians 11.1-12; meditate on verses 3-12.

Preparation
1. What did women show by wearing a head covering?

2. How did Paul describe the complementary relationship between men and women?

Meditation
These verses are not difficult to understand. However, for many people in our day, they are difficult to accept. The false spirit of egalitarianism has so pervaded our society that for anyone to assume authority over anyone he is not paying is considered the height of incivility. Of course, the consequences of this mindset are to undermine all authority and fill society with confusion, resentment, and grasping for power.

God created men and women to serve one another in love. Neither is more important than the other (vv. 8-12). Each has their God-given role in marriage (cf. Eph. 5.33). In relationship to God, the man bears primary responsibility. It’s why, when Adam and Eve fell into sin, God came looking for Adam. It’s why, when Sarah laughed at the notion of having a child so late in life, God reproached Abraham. Men and women are both responsible before the Lord for loving and serving Him, beginning with loving and serving one another. But God considers the man as “the head of woman” (v. 3)—not her tyrant, but her loving guardian and servant.

In Paul’s day, for women to wear a head covering while worshiping God symbolized that hierarchy of authority (vv. 5-7). Women were expected to demonstrate in public that they honored God by submitting to their husbands. Head covering was a way to do this, and while some communions of the Christian Church still practice this, I’m not persuaded that this first-century cultural expression is still required per se. For a woman to honor her husband is required, but a head covering is not the only way a woman can honor God and her husband while worshiping. If her husband loves and cares for her as God commands, she will gladly declare her allegiance to him and the Lord by appropriate means.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.
Now to answer that ever-pervading and over-wrought question: Which came first—the chicken or the egg?

My guess is the chicken.

But a far more important issue is the one Paul is bringing up:
Who comes from whom?
Without thinking, one might quickly answer, man is born of a woman.
Paul points out the error and corrects it by saying:
“For man is not from woman, but woman from man” (1 Cor. 11.8).
“For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God” (1 Cor. 11.12).
“And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man” (Gen. 2.21, 22). Woman from man.

This is an important issue because much of what guides and forms the Kingdom of God, on first glance, is not what it seems. Or to our carnal minds doesn’t make sense (e.g.) “So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen” (Matt. 20.16). Or “…whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20.26-28). Or the greatest conundrum of all: “while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Rom. 5.8).

Some might agree that the relationship between men and women has been skewed and misused by church people throughout the ages. But we know that authority should never be used as a power grab, but merely as a working means of showing godly home and neighbor love. As in all well-functioning institutions, someone must be in charge—schools, colleges and universities, churches, the military, the government, law enforcement, the home, countries, commerce, transportation—because without proper leadership chaos ensues.

As with all of life, God knows best. It is when we “kick against the goads” (Acts 9.5) that things fall apart. And if the people who are in charge take on Paul’s definition of love as their modus operandi (1 Cor. 13), all will be well, and all will be happy to be led by a person who loves like that. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment” (1 Jn. 4.18). Godly authority does not torment but leads effectually and lovingly.

To all those who put on the leadership hat: “Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God” (3 Jn. 11). If a leader knows that “all things are from God” and lives and leads accordingly, then others will willingly and gladly follow. “Happy are the people who are in such a state; happy are the people whose God is the LORD!” (Ps. 144.15).

With leadership like this, I might acquiesce, and agree that the egg came first.

For reflection
1. How do love and mutual edification cancel all fears related to authority?

2. What are some ways you might show proper authority to someone who has that authority over you?

3. How can imitating Jesus help us learn the proper use of authority and proper deference to authority?

[T]he man and the woman were made for one another. They were to be mutual comforts and blessings, not one a slave, and the other a tyrant. God has so settled matters, both in the kingdom of providence and that of grace, that the authority and subjection of each party should be for mutual help and benefit. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on the 1 Corinthians 11.2-16

Pray Psalm 73.1-24.
It's easy to be tempted by the spirit of the times and to fall into sin and disobedience. Ask the Lord to search you, to see if any false ideas or teachings have taken root in your soul. Devote yourself to Him and His Word, to hear and obey Him even when what He teaches flies in the face of the spirit of the times.

Sing Psalm 73.1-24.
(Ellacombe: Hosanna, Loud Hosanna)
To us our God is only good, to all the pure in heart!
But as for me, I nearly stood in sin from Him apart.
I nearly stumbled, nearly slipped as I the proud observed,
how they with ease and riches dripped while I, impoverished, served.

The wicked know in death no pain; with fat their bodies surge.
The plagues and trials of other men their ease do not disturb.
In fury, wrath, and pride they dwell; their minds run where they will.
Their tongues of sin and mocking tell; with earth their mouths they fill.

They never change but fill their soul with earth’s abundant charms,
and laugh to think that God might know or do them any harm.
For thus do they themselves appease with riches and good health;
the wicked ever dwell in ease, in pleasure and in wealth.

“Surely in vain have I kept pure my heart, or cleansed my hands!
What troubles daily I endure while thus with God I stand!”
But had I spoken thus I would Your children have betrayed.
When this at last I understood, my troubled soul obeyed.

Into Your Presence, LORD, I come and see the sinner’s end:
In slippery places they must run; to judgment them You send.
Destruction all at once must fall when You Your anger raise;
and terror will beset them all both now and all their days.

When my poor sad, embittered heart was pierced within by grace,
I saw how beastly was the part I chose before Your face.
But I am ever with You, LORD, You hold me by the hand,
and guide me daily by Your Word; in glory I e’er shall stand.

T. M. and Susie Moore

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter, available by clicking here.