The Question of Hair (Lauren Guyot)

Going into this research I wanted to know more in depth how to explain The Hair Question. This is what I have researched and hope everybody will listen and get an understanding on The Question of Hair.
The word hair is mentioned sixty-four times in the bible. Fifteen times in the New Testament, and forty-nine in the Old Testament, according to Hair: An Introduction. There are six scriptures that refer to hair length in the Bible. So if this is mentioned so many times why is it that we have a problem and question the Word of God?
“In the 1920’s, rebellion was rampant throughout Western culture. Men began to wear their hair long as a symbol of insubordination and defiance. As women’s became shorter, men’s became longer. Both were expressions of rebellion against authority. (J.R. Enesy; pg. 11)
 I looked up the Scripture where it talks about the women have long hair and this is some information from Barnes Commentary. Let’s just go through the scripture, as he breaks it down into parts.
“1Co 11:15 - “For if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
It is a glory unto her - It is an ornament, and adorning. The same instinctive promptings of nature which make it proper for a man to wear short hair, make it proper that the woman should suffer hers to grow long.” (Albert Barnes Commentary)
I looked up the word ornament; I wanted to know why he describes it as an ornament. In the Merriam Webster Dictionary it referred to Ornament as different things but one of the definitions really stuck out to me. It say’s “Something that lends grace or beauty, a manner or quality that adorns.” It is a glory unto her, an ornament, and her beauty.
“For a covering - Margin, “veil.” It is given to her as a sort of natural veil, and to indicate the propriety of her wearing a veil. It answered the purposes of a veil when it was allowed to grow long, and to spread over the shoulders and ever parts of the face, before the arts of dress were invented or needed. There may also be an allusion here to the fact that the hair of women naturally grows longer than that of men” (Albert Barnes Commentary)
1 Corinthians 11:14 says “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him.” Before the 1920’s it was not “of nature” if I can say for men to have long hair, but only for women to have long hair. An example would be, when you go to the restroom you never see a man in a skirt and a woman in pants. No because they identify the woman in a skirt and a man in pants so that you know this is which. People identify you by your appearance, and if I see a woman walking in the mall and she is dressed in pants with her hair cut short like a man’s how am I going to know what it is. As Apostolic, people can identify us by our appearance. We have long hair as ladies and wear modest clothing; men are always clean shaven and dress modest.
I was always taught that your hair is a covering, a protection. I looked up the word veil, here is what Merriam Webster Dictionary definition said. “A length of veiling or netting worn over the head or face or attached for protection or ornament to a hat or headdress.” Now some people say well they are just talking about a veil, maybe like a nun would wear or some women over in the Middle East. But I also looked up the word Hair, just to see what Webster might have to say about it. “Hair-The hairy covering of an animal or body part.” So here they even call it a covering. It says in 1 Corinthians 11:4-5 “ Every man praying or prophesying having his head covered, dishonoreth his head. 5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoreth her head: for this is even all one as if she were shaven.
In 1 Samuel 15:22-23 its says “And Samuel said, Hath the LORD in great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken the fat of the rams.” 23 “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because though has rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” I feel like the key words in verse 22 is “to obey is better than sacrifice.” Obedience is always better than sacrifice. Because when you obey you are sacrificing. I was reading on in the scripture and it talked about in verse 23 how “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and how though has rejected the word of the Lord.” When you go against some rule or law you are being rebellious. The bible says it plan and clear that a man should have short hair and a woman should have long hair. The scripture mentions how though have rejected the word of the Lord, and when you go and cut your hair to me that is rejecting the word of the Lord.
Holiness is one reason why women should not cut their hair. In the Bible there are plenty of scriptures that can tell us about holiness. First I should explain to you what is holiness. Holiness means separation, or set apart. In my Corinthians class Bro. Arrowood talked about how there are two ideas: Separation from the world and Separation unto God. Separation from the world means to be set apart. It says in Hebrews 12:14 “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. We must be holy and have holiness. Holiness has to start in the heart; you just can’t change because some one told you to. Holiness is not a wake up and I choose to be holy today and not the next. It is a lifestyle, holiness has to start in the heart and only you can choose to change. God wants us to change, you just have to make up in your mind that you choose to live this way, and you want it to be an everyday thing. In 1 Samuel 16:7 one part of the scripture says “the man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”
When a woman cuts her hair it teaches us in the Bible that you loose your protection. 1 Corinthians 11:10 says “For this cause ought a woman to have power on her head because of the angels.” The angels are her protection. When a women prayers she has power in her hair, because of the angels. In Merriam Webster Dictionary I looked up the word glory, one of the definitions said glory, a halo appearing around the shadow of an object. Now if this does not explain it I don’t know what will. Angels are a halo appearing around the shadow of your hair.
There is one story in the bible found in the book of Luke chapter seven verse forty-four. A certain women washed Jesus feet with her tears, and dried them with her hair. This woman had power in her hair. There is one more story that I would like to share with you. This is not about a woman, but about a man in the Bible. This man had long hair; he had power in his hair. One day Delilah was questioning Samson where he got his power from, see Samson was a strong man. So the story goes on to tell us that Delilah kept on asking Samson where he got his power from, finally Samson told her he got it from his hair, Samson had long beautiful hair. When Samson told Delilah this in the middle of the night she cut off all of Samson hair, see the Lord told him not to cut his hair for when he did Samson lost his strength, he lost his power. What do you see the first time a woman leaves the church or backslides, she cuts her hair? When you cut your hair you loose the power, glory and the protection.
Middle Eastern women wear a covering over there head as a protection and no body every questions them on why they do what they do. Everybody knows that it is a culture, a tradition. We as apostolic women have long hair and get asked all kinds of questions such as: If you just cut your hair it would be healthy, why don’t you cut your hair, or if you just trim it a little it would look so much better. Well let me just tell you one thing, trimming and cutting are the same thing.
1 Corinthians 11:6 “For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.”
Merriam Webster Dictionary defines shorn as “to cut off the hair from.” The word shaven means “to cut off close to the skin.” Albert Barnes Commentary defines it as this:
1Co 11:6
For if the woman be not covered - If her head be not covered with a veil.”
Let her also be shorn - Let her long hair be cut off. Let her lay aside all the usual and proper indications of her sex and rank in life. If it is done in one respect, it may with the same propriety be done in all.”
But if it be a shame ... - If custom, nature, and habit; if the common and usual feelings and views among people would pronounce this to be a shame, the other would be pronounced to be a shame also by the same custom and common sense of people.”
Let her be covered - With a veil. Let her wear the customary attire indicative of modesty and a sense of subordination. Let her not lay this aside even on any pretence of religion.” (Albert Barnes Commentary)
1 Corinthians 11:3 “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” Man is the of the home, what is on the woman’s physical head is her hair. If she dishonors her hair than she is dishonoring the head of her home which is her husband. You are your husbands protection not just your husbands protection but your family’s protection. There are things we do in the spirit that man can not do because of our hair. In Proverbs 12:4 “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.”
In the Book Does God Really Care about Hairstyles it says “For Christians, a woman’s shorn hair is a symbol of rebellion, of a spirit of independence from her husband or father. A woman is to always be under the headship (protection, authority) of a man-either her father or her husband, or, in the case of one who has no living husband or father, her pastor or other spiritual authority.
In most Christian cultures this was understood and accepted, but the rise of feminism and general rebellion against authority which has marked this century caused women to express this independence openly and publicly. One of the primary indications of this attitude is to cut the hair. The practice has become so common that most women do not think of it in that light at all. They do not realize when they are having it cut that they are rebelling against the Word and will of God, and against their husbands. “It is my hair and I will do with it whatever I please!” –is the common attitude. Many Christians have never been taught the principles of 1 Corinthians 11 and are totally unfamiliar with this passage of scripture, even unaware that the Bible addresses the subject at all.” (J.R. Ensey; pg. 10&11)
Cutting your hair can be a tool to become a witness. The first thing you might get asked as an apostolic woman is why you do not cut your hair. It talked in the book how many Christians have never been taught the principles of 1 Corinthians 11. By not cutting our hair we are true living examples of 1 Corinthians 11. It says be ye Holy for I am Holy. If we truly love God we will keep his commandments. It says in John 14:15 “If ye truly love me, keep my commandments.” If we truly love God and want to please him we will follow his commandments.
I heard a true story one time how a woman’s little boy was severely sick, not sure the case. She continually prayed for him every day. Finally after him not being healed God impressed in her to take her hair down and lay it over her child and pray for him. He was healed.
If there is one thing that you have learned from this paper is that let your glory shine forth. God only knows why he created women like he did. It says in Psalms 149:14 “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are they works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” We are fearfully and wonderfully made. One way we can praise Jesus is through our hair, for it is his glory, his angels protect you and keep watch of you. Never cut your hair for God will always be faithful in answering prayers!