“A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels. (1 Corinthians 11:7-10)
The real war on women is waged by Satan. If you recall it was only on the basis of the woman’s testimony that God condemned the devil in the garden (Genesis 3:13-14). No doubt, this enflamed his wrath against women. Furthermore, the devil knew that – somewhere in the future – it would be a woman’s seed (rather than a man’s) that would bring about his ultimate undoing (Genesis 3:15). Therefore, ever since God’s judgment on Satan in the garden, the devil’s been out to destroy women and the infants they bear. Yes, Satan is the one behind abortion – the slaughter of infants. Satan is behind violent crimes against women – which have escalated exponentially since women’s so-called liberation – as has the exploitation of women in pornography.
Woman’s protection is not achieved by becoming more independent. Independence from God and men only makes women more vulnerable. Here in 1 Corinthians 11, Paul even sees the covering of a woman’s head as a sort of protection. For it tells the spiritual world that this woman is under the protection of her husband who is himself under the protection of Christ. Paul seems to have in mind the great moral and spiritual crisis that precipitated the world-destroying flood in Genesis 6-8. In Genesis 6:1-7, we read of how some of the angels abandoned their own God-appointed domain. They did this to assault women sexually in order to raise offspring of their own – who became tyrants in the earth (Genesis 6:1-3; Jude 6). Satan and his fallen angels are the real enemies of women, not patriarchal societies or husbands or fathers. God provided them for woman’s protection. But Satan’s whole strategy to divide and conquer.
True independence for every woman – and every man – is found in submission to and intimacy with God. For when a person finds their deepest needs met through intimacy with God, they become less dependent upon people. This is the only realistic quest – to find fulfillment in God. For no human spouse can ever fulfill all our dreams and meet our every need. The most loving and devoted spouse is destined to fail and disappoint us. King Solomon wrote that God has set eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). That’s a mighty big gap for any human to fill. Only the infinite God can do it. Therefore, it is God’s quest, and should be ours, to help us depend less and less on people and more and more on God.
REFLECTION
- Why does Satan wage war against women? How does his attack manifest itself?
- If demons have a history of attacking women, how should husbands respond?
- We all need to submit to God and to one another, and pray for one another.