Our appearance is an outward reflection of our inward reverence for the Lord. Paul has been writing in 1 Corinthians 11 about modesty and how it reflects on yourself and the person who God has made responsible for you. Verse 10 adds another dimension.
1 Corinthians 11:10 “For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.”
First, lets look at some of the background which led up to this verse. Paul is talking about modesty and appearance when you “pray or prophesy” which I believe he means our conduct within the church. So inside the church is the setting for this verse. So this verse tells us when a woman is in church, she ought to have power on her head because of angels.
How would a woman have power on her head? Paul has been referring to head coverings in the verses leading up to this verse. And that is why I began this post the way I did. The head covering was an article of modesty at the time, and an outward reflection of the heart. It symbolized where her heart was, in reverence to her husband who was a follower of Jesus Christ (which makes her a follower of Jesus Christ). If you mimic Jesus Christ in your life, you will have that power which Paul refers to in verse 10. The original Greek word which Paul used is sometimes translated as power in the English, but sometimes is also translated as authority. To follow Christ through the example of your husband is not putting you in a weak position, but in a powerful and authoritative position. How so?
The rest of the verse says this power should be on her head “because of the angels.” What are angels? There are two types of angels: good and evil. The good angels minister to us. The Bible says in Hebrews 13:2 that some people have entertained angels without knowing they were angels. Then there are evil angels, or demons. These are followers of Satan who would like nothing better than to destroy a Christian. The Bible refers to the devil as a roaring lion seeking who he may devour. A lion goes for the weakest of the herd, and the one with the least amount of power. Keeping in mind that angels and demons are not all-knowing (that only God is), how is a demon to know who is weak and who has power? The outward appearance would be one way of knowing!
I believe this is the essence of what Paul is telling us. For our own benefit and for the glorification of the Lord, we ought to be strong Christians not only in heart but in appearance.
To learn more about 1 Corinthians 11, follow this link.
