The Christian Letter, Volume One: Chapter 14, Part 6 of 6
The more I strived to emulate the One I love, out of love, the more some people once wondered if I was going to wear the small hat called a kippah and dress in black, too. What are those little hats called kippahs, or skullcaps, and should we wear them? I cannot personally find any such custom in Scripture. The kippah originated when the Jews were being Hellanized (forcefully converted to the idolatry of pagan worship). Many began to wear the symbol of the educated, the helmet of Mars / Hermes (graduation hats of those brought into Babylon); hence it is little more than a relic of arrogance. It is better to have a crown of kindness than a cloth of self-delusion (Zechariah 13:4). This is why I do not wear one.
There is a similar hat called the servant covering. It is said that a servant’s head covering is a custom for the commandment in Deuteronomy 15:12-18. Those who do wear the servant’s hat claim to be slaves to the Heavenly Husband, but they don’t receive an ear piercing, which is in Scripture, whereas the hat I have not yet seen therein.
Though there are few who do this, some twist the words of Paul and take the message in 1 Corinthians 11 to mean a woman should have a piece of cloth on her head. The real issue of the head covering controversy would be much more easily understood if we realized the passages in 1 Corinthians are speaking about us not putting others before Him. For a man to be sure to do this he must look to Yahoshuah, not his wife; the wife must look to her husband, not her children; and the children ought be obedient to their parents, not their friends; all this as their family takes joy in walking as the Messiah walked. Should we strive to be less than our Rabbi? This is about love, not cloth on the head. We must not be without the glory of Yahoshuah upon us. To cover our heads with anything else is not sufficient.
Do you have an unauthorized covering? Men: Are you covered because you go to church, or have a nice outlook on life? Or is your covering the Messiah? Women: Are you covered because you listen to a preacher of sorts, and have control over your household? “In the same way, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that if any are disobedient to the Word, they, without a word, might be won by the behaviour of their wives, having seen your blameless behaviour in fear. Your adornment should not be outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on dresses—but the hidden Man of the heart, with the incorruptible ornament of a meek and peaceable spirit, which is of great value before Elohim. For in this way, in former times, the set apart women who trusted in Elohim also adorned themselves, being subject to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him master, of whom you became children, doing good, and not frightened by any fear. In the same way, husbands, live understandingly together, giving respect to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the favour of life, so that your prayers are not hindered.” (1 Peter 3:1-7). What men stumble upon with the letters of Paul would become clear and true, bright and intense, if they would but look to Peter, but more importantly, to the Word as a whole. If your head (husband / dad) is in error and requests you to wear a cloth head covering then it is appropriate for you to do so, but the man’s Head, Messiah, gave no such command.
Side note: Sarah, speaking Hebrew, called her husband, “Adon.” She did not call out in English, “Master.” Adon means headship, authority, superior in position but not importance, and patron. Wives and daughters ought call their headship a respectful title, or in the case of a wife: her husband’s name, and not a title that is the Messiah’s alone. Elohim alone is Master. A husband is one’s headship.
If we never had this small section of Paul’s letter to misinterpret then no one would come up with the idea of needing to wear a bonnet to pray. This idea of a cloth head covering is nothing more than a culture becoming religion. Yes, historically, women have worn cloth head coverings, and men have had short hair. However, culture’s historical manner of dress cannot, and should not, be equated with the Commandments Yahoweh has given. We must be on guard for doctrines of confusion. Satan himself loves to twist this passage just enough so that the main point is lost. By your Head Covering, Yahoshuah, do not let him!
Let’s say, though, for just a moment, that it isn’t allegorical and that Paul said it was our custom. Putting a little cloth on the top of your head is not a “Head Covering.” It is merely a portion of your scalp. If head coverings are to be done, the orthodox Muslims have done it right as they cover the whole head, including the forehead, ears, eyes, and mouth as well. Indians would often scalp rapists and murders, and during many wars people were beheaded for their crimes, real or imaginary. This is not about scalp coverings. It is about head coverings spoken in an allegorical manner.
Paul says to, “look to the animals,” yet the male animals have the head covering: the lion his mane, the roster his crown, the cardinal the tuft of red, and on and on, while the women animals are often submissive to their head and dressed modestly beautiful. The lionesses’ hair is the mane of the lion, metaphorically speaking. In other words, a woman’s crown is her husband’s glory, and so she lifts him up. A husband’s Crown, or Head, is Yahoshuah the Messiah, just like the lion’s real Master is the Lion of Judah. Therefore, her long hair as a covering is either her dad or her husband, and, if neither, then she will be given the strength to endure until the time comes for her to return to her role as role model.
Yahoweh left cloth head coverings out of His precious Torah. The Messiah spoke to people about the Word, and is not once recorded as having anything to say about cloth head coverings. Paul then proclaims that his message on head coverings is allegorical, and that we have no such custom, of which we would if it were Torah.
I’d love to see the confusion, brought on by cloth head coverings, done away with by the men being known by their love for Yahoweh, by their love of the Messiah; for the women, by their love for their dad or husband, and by the children, by their obedience to loving and nurturing parents. We are to don the love of our Head Covering Yahoweh, not allegorical fabric.
Let us pray:
“O Yahoweh, You are my Covering even when nude. I rely on You, and ask You to walk with me, and teach me Your Ways so that I may walk as You walk. May it be, my Head Covering, may it be.”
Be Blessed and be a Blessing
Shalom
-Valentine Thalken Billingsley
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