8 I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing. 9 I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10 but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.
Men and women often have different struggles. Here Paul points out some of those differences. Men have more problems with anger and disputing. They have more troubles blowing their stacks. They are often more impatient than women and when they get frustrated, they blow a cork. They also often use their intellect to avoid the issues, or they try to solve the problems by giving answers to women’s problems. They will think through solutions without even being aware of, or perhaps even caring about the emotions. That is why prayer can be so pivotal in a man’s life. Prayer as part of a life of worship breaks down the walls of insensitivity, helping men become more aware of what other people are feeling. They will be slower to defend and slower to attack. Men have no troubles with their clothing or outward appearance. This is not there area of struggle. Women do struggle in these areas. Their outward adornments can tangle them in a web. We are not sure exactly what braided hair and jewelry meant in those days, whether certain people wore these things as a symbol of their position in society or occupation, but Paul warns these women to avoid them. Instead they are to not worry about those outward trappings, but be more focused on living the godly life they claim. Their lives, too, are to be centered on worship. If they get wrapped up in the outward they will miss God’s purpose for their lives. Just as the men disconnect from their tender emotions, so women disconnect from the simplicity of worship. They get distracted by the trappings of their looks. I think this goes back to the Garden of Eden. Their side of the curse was that their desire would be for their husbands. I think that means they will forever be attempting to win their husband’s attention, their emotional tenderness, but it will elude them. They will use their outward appearance in an attempt to draw in their husbands, but their attempts will fall short. Instead of the tenderness they seek, they will get harshness and intellectualizations. This is the fate of fallen men and women. We will forever be different, complementing weaknesses and strengths. Both weaknesses are solved when we stay in worship before our Living God.