1 Cor. 11:2-16; Psalm 22

1 Cor. 11:2-16
Paul continues his discussion here on unity in the church. This passage seems a little troubling to us in the 21st century church.  Paul is dealing with a cultural clash here: the Jewish women believers had always covered their heads when they went to worship, and the Greek women had not. Our culture does not require women to wear head coverings or long hair when we worship; neither does it seem a shame for men to have longer hair. Remember that these were discussions and squabbles that were part of the culture in Corinth in Paul's day. He is saying that believers should do what they need to do to retain harmony in the church. If our culture believed that people should have certain outward appearances when we worship, then we should do that in order to be a good testimony to other Christians and to the outside world. But the main point is that we should always have an attitude of respect and we should display proper conduct when we worship. We should have respect for one another and especially for God when we come before him.

The subject of submission is another one that can rankle us. After all, our sinful natures tend to want our own way! The Bible teaches here and in other places that God requires submission among equals. Just as God is not superior to Jesus Christ, man is not superior to woman. Jesus submitted Himself to the will of the Father. In a marriage, the Bible teaches that a wife should follow her husband's leadership for the sake of their marriage and family. Submission among equals is by choice, not by force. Ideally, when we all submit to God, these principles are not painful! Lines of authority in any walk of life--the military, the government, business, the family, the church--help to avoid chaos and make things run smoothly.

Psalm 22
David wrote this Psalm while going through great suffering. He probably did not realize it at the time, but God also meant this psalm as a prophecy of what Jesus, the Messiah, would go through on the cross hundreds of years later! Really, passages like this one should remind us that we are reading God's Word and not just some man's words, though God used individuals to give us His Word.

Jesus Himself quoted from this Psalm (v. 1) while hanging on the cross carrying the burden of our sin. You will notice other humiliations that David experienced which were foreshadowings of what Jesus would suffer:  scorn and mocking (vv. 6-9); physical suffering (vv. 12-17); they divided his garments (v. 18).

People would eventually praise the Lord for delivering David and for the victory Jesus gave us by defeating death by rising from the dead and returning to the Father. (v. 22 ff)  "All who seek the Lord will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy." v. 26

I believe this psalm even hints at the Lord's second coming for which we are still waiting. (vv. 27-18)
At that time, the whole earth will acknowledge Him as Lord.

vv. 29-31 remind us that our testimony will live on in our children. We must pass on God's Word and our own testimony to our children who will in turn pass it on to those not yet born. "His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done."