The Beauty of Veiling
In today’s day and age when many of my peers are choosing that the veiling is a relic from the past, I wonder if they know what they are casting aside, or is it just an indication of where their hearts are really headed. For many of the people my age, and yes, even those older, the veiling has always been taught as a headship covering showing to the world that the wearer was in submission to her husband, parents, the church, and hopefully, to God. And while that is a very valid and important part of the veiling, I also firmly believe that there is such a beauty we miss if we don’t look beyond I Cor. 11 for what else the Bible might have to say.
I am thrilled to be married to a woman who is veiled, and here are the reasons why!
To understand the basis of the veil, you need to understand a bit of Glory. From Genesis to Revelation, Glory was always veiled. Adam and Eve were created and both were in the glory that God intended for them to enjoy, but when sin came into the world, then God “veiled” them in goat skins, and they were “veiled” from the presence of God. They could no longer see His face! Then when God’s glory came down to the Tabernacle, once again, it was not there for everyone to see, but only for one person, and that only once per year. God’s glory was hidden from the public by a veil, and that veil was never removed until His Spirit no longer dwelt there and then it was rent in two. Even today, God’s glory, the Church, is hidden from the world. To those who are without, the church seems ridiculous for the weird ways we worship God, yet for those of us who walk in His Spirit, God’s promises and truth, are precious and literally life and peace! But it sure doesn’t look like that to those who walk in the flesh, because the Glory is still veiled from them till His return!
So what does this have to do with women and the veiling? In the Bible we are told that a woman’s long hair is given to her for her glory. It is part of the feminine beauty that God has given to her. But here is where the problem comes in. You see, back in Genesis, when God was done with creating the world, He said it was good. And when the God who can breathe out the stars, says that something is good, you’d better believe that it is knock your socks off, good! But Satan cannot stand anything that God has designed to be glorious! Because he knows that it reflects the beauty and image of his arch enemy, God! Everything that God designs to be glorious, Satan will do his best to make it common place, or even distasteful. And the vice versa is also true, everything God warns against and says to avoid, Satan will put all the shine and luster on it he can, to convince you that that is what you really need to be happy, fulfilled, or in this case, beautiful!
And so Satan starts to convince men and women that her hair is not really all that glorious, especially when it is bound up and hidden, but would look better exposed and hanging! And for a while, people were askance at the shamefulness of walking around in public with your hair exposed! But after a while, that which God wanted to be glorious, became common place, and even bothersome! So Satan continues to lead us into his viewpoint by telling us that the long hair is not really all that glorious, in fact it is a bother, and why not cut it shorter? It will surely be easier to take care of that way, and besides, it will make you look better! And so the lie goes on. Satan is not really concerned about her beauty, he just wants to steal her God given glory away from her!
If you think I am being far-fetched, let me use this same mentality on a different area. In Ontario Canada, it is now legal for women to go topless in public. Now Solomon, in all his wisdom told his son to always be ravished with his wife’s body, but only his wife’s body! Including the parts that Ontario now says can be freely viewed and enjoyed by all! Now let me ask you, if you were to go to work tomorrow and see a woman walking topless along the road, would you think “There is a woman of Godly beauty?!” Of course not!! It is shameful for a woman to go about so! Even disgusting!
Ladies, God has given you so much beauty, that you can drive men crazy with it! But it needs to be kept for your husband so that you can enjoy it together! Otherwise, it becomes cheap and common, almost totally lacking in glory, and you will have given away a precious treasure that God meant for your enjoyment! Remember, Satan is trying to tell you that you are not beautiful unless you expose your beauty for all! Don’t buy into his lie! God has given you women a tremendous privilege in gifting you with so much more beauty then us men! When God was trying to describe the beauty of His Church, He didn’t compare it to a man, He compared to a beautiful bride adorned for her husband! You are beautiful just the way God made you, and if you keep those treasures hidden for your husband, they will be so much more precious than if treated carelessly or with little worth.
But here is the best part! If you are a single lady who is modestly dressed and veiled, you are telling those around you that you, that when you get married, the best is yet to come! It is hidden for that day! Oh Glory!! Ladies! You have the privilege of telling the world that the beauty that the Creator has placed in you, is just a foretaste of the beauty that is to come! And just as you cannot see the glories that God has in store for us, so you cover your glories for the day when you will be married!
Yes, the veil is also a sign of being submissive to the role God has for you, but I see it as so much more than that!
Men! What does this have to do with us?
First of all, if we want to see our wives and children living in submission to us, we need to examine if we are setting a good example of being in submission to the authorities God has placed in our lives. Our church leaders, parents, local authorities, are just to name a few. But we also need to choose which standard of beauty we want to see in our wives and children. Do we want to see one that upholds God’s standard of purity and chastity? Or the one in the world that Satan wants us to see, of distorting God’s beauty into an unachievable lie? We as men set the tone of how privileged our wives feel in this role through various ways. Do we give them ALL of our “attentions” or do they see us glancing lustily at the billboard or jogger along the road? Do we affirm them with words of encouragement and cheer when they feel a little less than glamorous at times? Do we remind them that just as Christ only has eyes for his bride the church, we also pledge to only have eyes for her, and are satisfied with her? And even on our own standard of dress. Am I willing to dress in a way that doesn’t draw attention to my body?
Most importantly men, am I so enthralled with my Divine Creator, that she also feels excited about being a part of this preparation for the marriage supper of the Lamb, or does she feel that she has to bear this burden alone?
It reminds me of the lady who requested that when she died, that she be buried, holding a fork in her hands. When the pastor asked ‘why’, she told him that whenever the main course was finished at a luncheon, and the servers instructed people to keep their forks, you knew that something really special was coming for desert!
On the day I got married, I knew that the best was yet to come! So it is with God’s glory! Let us affirm the beautiful plan that He has given us, and practice it with JOY, not woeful resignation!
