1 Corinthians 11:5, 10, 13 (NASB) read, "But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head,… Therefore the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels….Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?" The Apostle Paul does instruct women to cover their heads when praying or prophesying. Why?
In Ephesians 5, Paul explains that the relationship between a husband and wife is a picture of the relationship between Jesus and His church. The way a Christian marriage is lived out is a witness to the world and to angels of the way Jesus and His church relate to each other. Eph. 5:22-24, "Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything." When a woman wears a head covering, it is a symbol that she is honoring and respecting her husband's headship. The covering reminds the woman and also the man that they need to fulfill their holy roles.
What is the man's role in a marriage? He is to love his wife and cherish her just as Jesus loves and cherishes every Christian member of His body. When a man cares and attends to his precious wife's feelings, needs, opinions, and preferences, a wife will naturally desire to please her spouse. It is this mutual love and respect, symbolized by the woman's head covering, that is a beautiful witness to all!
