Observation: As Paul continues instruction to the church in Corinth about their behavior, he discusses ... head coverings. Men are not to wear them, but women must. He goes so far as to say that, if a woman does not wish to have her long hair covered, she should shave her head. And all of this is to reflect the fact that women are under men and thus must be humble in their prayer, while men are under Christ and thus must be open to access heaven.
There is no other way to understand this section outside of it being specific instructions to this particular church. What is being said was never said in another context. It also isn't true by Jewish law and custom, where men cover their heads with kippah and also often with a tallit when praying. Therefore, there was some issue taking place in Corinth whereby Paul needed to make a point about the relationship between husbands and wives.
Application: Just yesterday I discussed how my wife and I have withdrawn from others due to past attacks. This section of 1 Corinthians is a reminder of this. It was several years ago now that my wife was accused of wrongdoing by an individual who relied on 1 Corinthians as evidence of how she should behave. That time was painful and angering, and despite how obviously wrong the person was - and that family was immediately (literally ... right then and there) kicked out of our church by the senior pastor - the attack left scars on our hearts. It remains one of the reasons we feel we cannot share even the joys of our lives with others, for we know our joy can be weaponized by those under the influence of false spirits.
Prayer: Lord, there are times we do feel attacked, and withdraw from the world to avoid those attacks. When we do so, may we always and only withdraw into your love and protection. Amen.
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