Is head covering and
uncovering required when praying today or did it portray the
betrothed bride about to enter the presence of the groom? Obviously
Yahwey can see right through the symbol. To find the Jewish wedding
patterns we go back to the longest chapter in
Genesis.
Genesis
24:38,51,58-60,65,67 LITV 38 But
you shall go to the house of my father and to my family and you
shall take a wife for my son. 51 Behold!
Rebekah is before you, take her and go. And let her become the wife
of the son of your master, as Jehovah has
spoken. 58 And
they called Rebekah and said to her, Will you go with this man? And
she said, I will go. 59 And
they sent away their sister Rebekah, and her nurse, and Abraham's
slave and his men. 60 And
they blessed Rebekah, and said to her, Our sister, may you become
myriads of thousands, and may your seed possess the gate of their
haters. 65 And
she said to the slave, Who is this man walking in the field to meet
us? And the slave said, It is my master. And she took the veil and
covered herself. 67 And
Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah. And he took
Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. And Isaac was
comforted after his mother.
Do you think Rebekah put
on a veil every time she saw Isaac or was it just worn in his
presence during the betrothal; before the
marriage?
If the character of Christ was
covered then how could the church reflect His glory? Moses wore a
veil over his face after he read the law because his glory started
fading after he left the presence of God. He brought the glory of
God down from the mountain in His law but could not retain it in
his face.
The holy place veil was torn when
Jesus died and descended to the lowest parts of the land. He had
revealed his character under law even through the veil of Adam's
flesh. 40 days after His
resurrection, He then
ascended from the holy place of His new covenant. Yeshua ascended
into the most holy place to prepare a place for His bride. The
church was brought into the holy place at Pentecost; to prepare her
to enter the most holy place through the second veil.
Romans 8:18-19 CLV
18 For I am reckoning that the
sufferings of the current era do not deserve the glory about to be
revealed for us.
19 For the premonition of the creation
is awaiting the unveiling of the sons of God.
The betrothed church was
likened to a man and his wife.
Ephesians 5:22-33
LITV 22 Wives,
subject yourselves to your own husbands, as to the
Lord, 23 because
a husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is Head of the
church, and He is Savior of the body. 24 But even
as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives to their own
husbands in everything. 25 Husbands,
love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave
Himself up on its behalf, 26 that He
might sanctify it, cleansing it by the washing of the water in the
Word, 27 that He
might present it to Himself as the glorious church, not having spot
or wrinkle, or any such things, but that it be holy and without
blemish. 28So, husbands
ought to love their wives as their own bodies, (he loving his wife
loves himself), 29 for then
no one hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, even as
also the Lord the church. 30 For we
are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His
bones. 31 "For
this a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall be joined
to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh." Gen.
2:24 32 The
mystery is great, but I speak as to Christ and as to the
church. 33 However,
you also, everyone, let each love his wife as himself, and the
wife, that she give deference to the husband.
Moses' descended the
mountain and his glory decreased after delivering the law, yet
Christ ascended to the Father before sending the Holy Spirit to
mirror His most holy place glory; to His people in the holy place
of betrothal.
2 Corinthians 3:13-18
CLV 13 and
are not even as Moses. He placed a covering over his face, so that
the sons of Israel were not to look intently to the consummation of
that which is being nullified." 14 But
their apprehensions were calloused, for until this very day the
same covering is remaining at the reading of the old covenant, not
being uncovered." 15 for
only in Christ is it being nullified. But till today, if ever the
reading of Moses should be reached, a covering is lying on their
heart." 16 Yet
if ever it should reach a turning back to the Lord, the covering is
taken from about it.)" 17 Now
the Lord is the spirit; yet where the spirit of the Lord is, there
is freedom." 18 Now
we all, with uncovered face, mirroring the Lord's glory, are being
transformed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as from
the Lord, the spirit."
The contrast made above
is between the fading glory on Moses' covered face under law and
the increasing glory of the new
covenant.
Even the messengers of old were
waiting to see who God's new people were about to be.
1 Corinthians 11:10
CLV 10 Therefore
the woman ought to have authority over her head because of the
messengers.
1 Peter 1:10-13
ALT 10 Concerning
which salvation [the] prophets sought diligently and
carefully searched, the [prophets] having prophesied
concerning the grace, the one [coming] to
youp, 11 searching
for who or what time the Spirit of Christ in them was clearly
showing, predicting the sufferings of Christ and the glory after
these. 12 To whom
it was revealed that not to themselves but to youp they were
serving these [things], which now were announced to
youp by the ones having proclaimed the Gospel to
youp by [the] Holy Spirit having been sent from
heaven, into which [things] angels desire to
look. 13 For this
reason, having tied up at the waist the clothes of
yourp mind [fig., having prepared yourp mind for
action], being sober [or, clear-headed], place
yourp hope [or, trust] completely upon the grace
being brought to youp at the revelation of Jesus
Christ.
If Christ has not married the
church yet then (in my estimation) the women in the church still
symbolize the betrothed bride about to be married and should
therefore act like Rebekah by covering their head when entering
into the presence of their Lord. Men likewise should uncover their
head as they are more responsible to bear the image of God to the
family.
I believe the new covenant
betrothal is now the new marriage covenant. The family of God has
been established. The federal head is no longer Adam. The uncovered
head who bears the image of Yahwey is Yeshua. The church family is
reflecting the glory of Christ; their first born husbandman who
rescued the nation under Adam (the body of Moses) and has
established the new body of God's people; the body of
Christ.
The symbolism of head
covering and uncovering is still discernable today, even in nature
itself. The veil was most important before marriage though. It was
sign worn by the bride. She acknowledges taking on the glory of her
husband, to be ever increasingly reflected by her even after the
marriage. The veil is lifted after marriage as they live face to
face. Laban used this well established tradition to trick Jacob who
loved his daughter Rachael. Jacob did not know it was Leah until
after the marriage was consummated. His uncovered head went into
her veil to put his image in her before he saw her face reflecting
his glory.
1 Corinthians 11:7-9
LITV 7 For
truly a man ought not to have the head covered, being the image and
glory of God. But woman is the glory of man; 8 for
man is not of the woman, but woman of man; 9 for
also man was not created for the sake of the woman, but woman for
the sake of the man;
Genesis 1:27
ECB 27 And Elohim
creates Adam in his image; he creates him in the image of Elohim;
he creates them male and female.
Genesis 2:18 (Yoda
Version)
CLV 18 And saying
is Yahweh Elohim, "Not good is it for the human for him to be
alone. Make for him will I a helper as his complement.