What is communicated by a stop sign? Obviously the command to stop is given, but why? The posted command offers no explanation as to “why” behind it. This understanding is supposed to be understood if a person is able to drive. The reason for the posting of the stop sign is so that the driver will stop in order that he can look both ways and thus respond to the traffic that may or may not be present on the road that day. Thus the real importance of the stop sign is the reasoning behind it, which is for the motorist to slow down sufficiently (stop) to consider the traffic on the road way and act accordingly.
The admonition of the Scripture stating that a woman is to adorn herself in long hair is like this. The greatest importance of the admonition is in the reasoning behind it, which reasoning goes beyond the immediate sphere of men's lives. Undoubtedly the fulfillment of this admonition, particularly from an honest and understanding heart will have great affect upon the relationships that the obedient soul is apart of, (particularly the marriage relationship) However, Yahweh's laws stipulating that a woman must wear her hair long has not only an earthly need for fulfillment. Meaning that obedience to this directive will go hand in hand with the maintaining of a submissive and reverent heart that is needed in a woman to enable her to conduct herself wisely toward all the forms of headship that are at play in her life, but specially in regards to her most immediate head. Which is her father if she is unmarried, or her husband if she is married. But at the same time for a woman to wear long hair represents heavenly and eternal realities which the godly woman will want to reflect in her life. The following is an explanation of the heavenly realities that are reflected by the neglect or abandonment of the woman wearing long hair. Therein, defining the reason for Yahweh's greatest disappointment when a woman, either through ignorance or rebellion of this truth, wears her hair short as a man would. For to violate Yahweh's laws pertaining to the wearing of longer hair, versus short hair (as a man would) is to in action directly slander the heavenly realities that the faithful woman was created by God to picture.
The Heavenly Picture Of Headship, and Its Working Among Men, and How The Wearing Of Long Hair Has A Part In This
To understand the Apostle Paul's admonition stating that a woman's hair is to be long, and that her long hair is a glory to her one must go back to the beginning of the creation of all things. The Mighty One created all the heavens and the earth, and everything contained in them. Man (mankind) was the crowning item of that creation, the which He made according to His own image. The first male person's name was Adam. He was firstly and directly made in Yahweh's image. The first female person's name was Eve. She was created from a rib that Yahweh had taken from Adam, after having caused him to fall into a deep sleep. Having been made from Adam's rib, the woman was apart of the man, thus it can be said that she came forth from the man, therefore she shared the image of God, but only through the man from which she was taken. So Adam was directly made in the image of God, the woman was made by the same creator, but indirectly shares the image of God, having been taken from the man. Therefore she has been from that time forward the very glory of the man, and the object of his affection. Furthermore, the man was created to be a direct reflection or illustration of God Himself, the woman was created to be an expression or illustration of the Church, or the individual Believer. Yahweh, the great creator, in His genius and unlimited power designed and constructed the two human persons to be living mortal expressions of these eternal and heavenly realities. His purpose being that in every affair of their lives they would, if walking in obedience to the Holy Spirit, bring forth a constant and accurate testimony of great, and eternal things that exist in the heavenlies.
Although created to illustrate heavenly realities, the man the woman are the chief of God's creation in this present natural world. Therefore, the wisdom that is contained in the commandments of God pertaining to their behavior is of vital importance to properly regulate their behavior, and in so doing bring forth godliness with it's many rewards in the present here and now. The bottom line issue of which we speak is that of the order of authority and responsibility in regards to the man and the woman. The man who was made as a direct illustration of God was created by God to be head over the woman. This brings forth the picture of God being head over the Church. The woman is to be under his authority (her father or husband) and her submission is to picture the submission that the individual Believer and the Church have to God (Christ). Authority and responsibility exist together in the equation of headship. You man say that they are like right and left hand. They exist together and you can not properly have one without the other. They are the two basic elements of headship. They belong chiefly to the man, even as in regards to heavenly issues they belong chiefly to the Lord. Now, the woman (as either wife or daughter of the one who is her natural head) will share this authority, and the corresponding responsibility that goes with it, but it firstly belongs to him. Even as the individual believer and the Church share in the authority and the responsibility of what is the Lord's. However, it must be noted that the sharing of this authority and responsibility is on the terms of the one in headship. It is not according to the terms of the one who was created to be in submission.
The issues of headship, both in respect to authority and responsibility are vital and basic to the peaceful and prosperous relationship between man and woman. They are vital to marriage, they are vital to family life. Therefore, since the marriage and family are such basic institutions in society, you can easy say that the issue of headship is vital and basic to all society. It has been the neglect and the corruption of the practice of this truth that has brought forth so very much vice, and the destruction of lives that go with these vices in modern America. It is obvious that our fathers understood and were more obedient to these truths then what our regent generations have been. Therefore, America boasts a divorce rate of nearly 70% for first time marriages, having “legally” murdered over 40 million babies, (abortion), possesses an Internet that offers 1,000,000 pornography sites, has an 80% teen sex rate (out side of marriage I might add), boasts a 50% rate of all couples refusing to marry, but “cohabitate”, which really means for most of them that the relationship is only good until one or the other discovers that the “grass is greener on the other side of the fence”. So, for any honest and thoughtful heart, the need among men to maintain the practice of headship it is nothing short of obvious. For to neglect it is to bring forth every sort of vice, and eventually even the very demise of our society.
The man, who was created to illustrate God (Christ) can not deny or abandon this calling. For to do so is to give the picture that Yahweh, the Great One, will abandon His headship over us. That He will forsake both His authority over us and His responsibility to us. I fully realize that the humanistic mind set wishes that He would do this, but I assure you He will never surrender His headship to anyone, at any time, or for any reason. He is alone God Almighty. He is alone head over all things. He shares the elements of that headship, both its authority and responsibility with both individual Believers and the Church, but only according to His will. He alone is LORD. So when the man who was created as a living mortal illustration of Yahweh surrenders or neglects his headship over the woman and the children she has brought forth to him, he is living a slanderous testimony pertaining to God. If, and when the woman rebells against her husband seeking to usurp his headship then she is living out the picture that says the Christian Believer, or the Church at large, has the right to act independently of the Lord, that the Church has the right to conduct her own affairs independent of God's will. This also is a slanderous testimony. Whether from the side of the man who through neglect or rebellion lives a life that testifies incorrectly of the heavenly realities he was created to picture, or from the side of the woman who through neglect or rebellion lives a life that incorrectly testifies of the heavenly realities that she was created to illustrate. Both are hated of Yahweh. For they tell a lie concerning Him. The testimonies of the lives who live in neglect, and, or rebellion to God's laws are slanderous toward Him and His purpose in the Church.
In conclusion, the reason for the woman to be adorned with long hair is that her hair is purposed of God to act as a natural symbol of her being under the headship of another. It is called a covering. It is a covering that is to be continually, night and day with the woman, reminding her that she was purposely created different from the man, and with the obedience of her life she is to fulfill a very different calling then the man, and to reflect different heavenly realities then what the man is to testify with his life. When a woman gives her heart to receive the truth and depth of this understanding this practice becomes her very glory. It is a glorious thing for a soul, in this case we are speaking chiefly about the woman, to understand and live out the truth of what her life was designed to be. Therefore her hair becomes her glory. For it is a continuing visible symbol to first herself, and then to others, that she is a woman and created by God to fulfill every aspect of how a woman is to testify of heavenly realities. The man is commanded to groom himself in short hair in that he was created firstly in the image of God and is to have no head between himself and the Lord . Therefore, he is to wear short hair, for he is to carry the symbol in his hair (or lack thereof) that he has no earthly head. This is not to say that in regards to the affairs of life the man does not need to answer to earthly authorities, whether they be civil or religious, or even commercial in nature (such as an employer), but that he is the direct head over all the affairs of His personal life, and of all things that belongs to him in this life. Therefore, he is not to wear a symbol of a covering. He was made with this sovereignty. This also pictures God.
So what we find in modern America is that the humanistic thought patterns that have sprung forth from man's wisdom (versus the obedience to God's laws) have created a society that denies that the creator made the man and the woman to fulfill very definite callings, and that when obeyed, these same commands will not only bring forth life and prosperity in this natural existance, but will also will bring forth a glorious and accurate testimony of heavenly realities. This fact reflects that our generation denies its creator, thinking that we are wise unto ourselves. It is that simple. It is no more complicated then that. Yes, we might boast that we are Christians, but Jesus said that “a tree will be known by its fruits”. And in the end, the real values of a person are known by what that person does or allows.
The practice of men wearing long hair, and especially of women wearing short hair is very common in America. I would say this almost without fail speaks of either ignorance or rebellion in respect to God's word on the part of the man or woman who does this. Now please do not mistake this statement to say that all women wearing long hair live after a godly manner, and that they practice submission of heart and action before the God given headship in their lives. For long hair is worn by many women only as a part of their femininity, but without recognizing or using that femininity to honor God, or their calling in God. For a woman to glory in the beauty of her femininity without using it to honor God is idolatry.
Repent America! Do not follow the wisdom of men. If they are unwilling to repent, then flush the worthless and confused preachers and educators that teach for doctrine the wisdom of men. (man's misguided intelligence that refuses to acknowledge Yahweh and His laws) God made mankind as the highest of all his creation, to live in the honor of knowing Him and His ways, thus by their lifestyle reflecting His truth in the world, but not to wallow in the mire of the immorality that springs forth from the supposed wisdom of men. For the wisdom of men without the fear of God is no wisdom at all.
A Watchman
Consider:
Genesis Chapters 1-3, Corinthians 6:17, Ephesians 5: 22-33, 1 Corinthians 11:1-16
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