Insights from Africa
Written in the form of Middle Eastern Proverbs
by Steve Phillips, 7/2008
Certainly the intent is not to add to scripture. Rather, these are lessons that our Brother Steve Phillips has learned from his time in West Africa as he has desired to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ among the people.
1. As dust to the eyes and thorns in the hand, so is a deceiver
to men when his secrets become known.
2. A mosquito, though small, carries death in its bite; so too is deception's sting.
3. Deception so disorients the deceiver that he no more knows light from darkness.
4. Scorner and murderer are his names who deceives with lying lips.
5. A cobra, though charmed, yet retains his venom; beware then when the piping stops.
6. As a fly upon dung, so is a greedy man with his riches; both alike are disgusting filth.
7. The leech, when gorged, falls off from its host; so too the greedy deceiver when his gain is gotten.
8. Go from the presence of a hypocrite lest you learn his ways and find a snare to your soul.
9. When the mouth of the greedy fills his belly, he utters no word; remove his meat and his lips spew forth malice and rage.
10. As the ground which drinks the rain is never full, so the flesh call never be satisfied.
11. What shall be done to you, O deceiving tongue? Pluck it out and cast it into fiery coals!
12. Though you give a man whatsoever he desires, yet his heart shall lust all the more.
13. A greedy man marries two wives; Treachery and Deceit.
14. As the dripping of cashew fruit spoils the cloth, so does greed stain the soul.
15. Avarice ordains his five apostles - Hatred, Treachery, Lying, Deceit, and Scorn.
16. Who is that man with Christ on his lips and Mammon in his heart? Judas is his name.
17. Let his name rot and perish forever who traffics in religion to gain from Mammon's store.
18. The cock who calls the hen to share the morsel has yet another intent.
19. The fly who struggles in the spider's web only entangles himself all the more.
20. A cock who crows after the dawn and the boasting of a fool are alike.
21. Sorrows encircle the head with a crown of hoary hairs.
22. Churlish words to the wife of one's youth and a queen sweeping dung are alike.
23. He who places his neck in an unequal yoke will be broken thereby.
24. As the belching of bile and vomiting of blood, so is the mouth of a vexing and contentious woman.
25. The nest of a rat and the congregation of a deceiver are alike; filth and chaos fill both.
26. The grunting of a pig and the demands of the greedy are alike, so flee him; for if he is denied, he will turn to devour you.
27. The eye that gazes on the well-watered plain will also watch it arise in smoke.
28. Beware of a two-tongued man: A scorpion's barb is affixed to each.
29. As wine looses the tongue of the drunkard, so pride brings forth contemptuous speech.
30. Meekness surpasses might as the arm of the Lord does that of the flesh.
31. The raging of a fool so confuses the path of his feet that he does not know what he stumbles over.
32. A covetous man, like the beasts, bends his neck downward to forage from the earth and does not look up.
33. Sheep, being senseless, follow one another when there is no shepherd, and so go astray.
34. A scoffer misleads the simple until his judgment comes; then they perceive his end.
35. Cunning and crafty are his names who deceives with his lips: His iniquity will be exposed before the great assembly with everlasting reproach.
36. A scoffer hears nothing but his own raucous voice.
37. The lips of a scoffer smoke with contempt and slanderous rage
ignited by a heart aflame with hatred.
38. He who demands tolerance is intolerant himself because of that one thing.
39. He who follows shall have followers, but he who compels shall be forsaken.
40. The wise may be heard even in quietness, but a fool is heard at any time.
41. As brick for stone and slime for mortar, so man's church shall not stand. For what is a brick but a man- made form, and what is slime except tolerance?
42. Take not the name of the Lord in vain lest, seeing it, the heathen do likewise.
43. Salt is good if it be not a pillar.
44. He who fondles his treasure shall not build with gold.
45. Behold how small a thing may obscure the vision of the skies!
46. Under three things the church shudders, yea, under four it
cannot stand:
Under a Pharisee when he is placed in authority,
And under man's tradition parading as truth;
Under hearts weighted with sin unforsaken yet hid,
And under a tongue of love lacking its deed.
47. Betrayal is the daughter fathered by Greed.
48. A covetous man prostitutes all before the idol-whore of self.
49. A maiden deflowered before her time is a bitter gourd on a vine of thorns.
50. The child who knows all in his youth, knows nothing as a young man.
51. Better a crumb of wisdom than a feast with folly.
52. When the words of a man to your face and those whispered in secret are one, then he speaks in truth.
53. A grievance uncleansed festers into an infection of bitterness defiling the whole body.
54. One bitter word in secret overthrows ten thousand pleasantries spoken in the light.
55. He who dines at slander's table has the devil as his host.
56. He who walks about as a talebearer will have his own secrets exposed before the great assembly.
57. Who can discern the strength of that thing called self which can even resist the Almighty!
58. Even as the lips are professing, "We thank God for your life," the hand is already slipping into your pocket.
59. Do you see a man donning religion to make much for himself? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
60. The covetous man says, "Praise the Lord," but Mammon is his master.
61. Ministers of Mammon proclaim, "Silver and gold have I some; but such as you have, give thou me in the name of Jesus the Mammonite."
62. The greedy of gain do pray, "My will be done by Thou who art in heaven."
63. "Fine, fine," says the deceiver, but when he goes his way he curses.
64. As threatening clouds darken the moon, so does gain by greed the soul.
65. Do you see a man hastening after wealth? Behold one plunging
headlong to his own destruction.
66. The stillborn has spoken no ill, yet death's curse is his portion.
67. How frail a thing is mortal life! Who can say no when its Maker collects the spirit?
68. As the tempest's blast touches the righteous and wicked alike, so death is no respecter of persons.
69. A stillborn who comes in darkness and departs in obscurity is better than the living who refuse the light and then are cast into the blackness of darkness forever.
70. How is it that we weep over the departed infant unknown to us but do not mourn over the God we have never known?
71. The mercy of God to the stillborn is preferred rather than to live and reject that mercy.
72. The stillborn who has seen no light cannot be expected to walk in it; but what of the living?
73. If in the womb the child is dependent upon God for life, how much more when he comes forth?
74. A girl who becomes a woman in her youth must become aged when her first child dies at birth.
75. Affliction in the flesh is easier to be borne than sorrow of soul.
76. Better that the womb be one's grave than to come forth into the light and not walk in it.
77. Affliction ministers grace to the soul if the heart is contrite, but rain upon a stone runs off.
78. As fire tempers steel, so affliction further hardens the impenitent.
79. Three things are too wonderful for me, yes, that remain
mysteries until now:
The tolerance of the dragon by a sovereign Father,
Jesus' choosing and abiding with Judas,
And the Holy Spirit's presence in Babylon developing.
80. If the word of a king is steadfast, who dare challenge the decree of the Most High?
81. As the crackling of thorns beneath the pot, so does gossip inflame into boiling rage.
82. The mouth of the insincere is filled with assurances; the lips of the righteous with conviction.
83. Human sympathy may soothe the sorrowing, but only God can heal the soul.
84. Rubble must be cleared ere the ancient foundation be laid bare.
85. Erecting upon ruins however outwardly fine only perpetuates the same.
86. If God be the God of Jacob, let us beware of hasty and uncharitable judgment of others.
87. If the Scriptures no where direct us to hate Satan but do command us to hate self, what then are we to think about this foe within our very breast?
88. The carnal, in delusion, do arrogantly imagine: "I shall not reap what I have sown."
89. The height of arrogant folly and blasphemous affront is to say, "Not so, Lord."
90. Though you preach to a fool till your dying breath, yet his folly will not depart from him.
91. Like the annoyance of buzzing flies, so a fool brushes away sound wisdom and counsel.
92. The wisdom of the wise is despised by the fool in his folly.
93. With one mocking laugh in the mouth of a fool, all sound wisdom is dismissed with disdain.
94. Compromise sears the soul, rendering it unfit for enlarged service.
95. The cheeks of one whose heart is cleansed may yet burn with shame.
96. Desire of heart, when strong, obscures the vision of sober reason.
97. Self, to survive, will don a thousand cloaks.
98. Bananas, when placed in the hand of a monkey, will never reach his fellows.
99. When praise neither elates nor cursing deflates us, then we have died to self.
100. If a man persists serving others when rejected and maligned, then self has died in him.
101. A man who accounts his achievements as things of nothing is dead to himself.
102. When heaven's assessment fills the heart with trembling, then a man has died to self.
103. Self, when indulged, renders the soul unfit for higher purposes.
104. Clay, if finely crushed and uniform throughout, can be fitly fashioned to a vessel containing treasure; so too a man, if self be broken and contrite.
105. He is a fool indeed who would promote what ought to be denied,
even this thing called self.
106. No rivals can abide when self reigns; all and everyone must bow.
107. Truth fears no error; Error always fears the truth.
108. When praise neither elates nor cursing deflates us, then we have died to self.
109. If the worthiness of the object dictates the terms of the investment in things here below, what then shall we bring to Christ?
110. Many will follow Christ if His purse strings are within reach; cut the strings and they will curse Him to His face.
111. The wasp, buzzing frantically upon his back, struggles to the last; so too self is loathe to die.
112. Without controversy, great is the Mystery of Iniquity:
Evil was manifest in the spirit,
Led stars of heaven in revolt,
Was condemned by the throne,
Proclaimed in Eden,
Believed on in the world,
And cast into a fiery lake.
113. Temptations which necessarily arise from foul sources, nevertheless meet us under a Sovereign hand.
114. A door unlocked by Christ who holds the key is designed to be entered, not ignored or fled from.
115. Bearing with one another by accomodating the broad way is a love that causes to go astray.
116. Rather let red pepper be smeared in the eyes than to meet a deceiver in his treachery.
117. Whoever loves money loves strife and despises the concerns of others.
118. If our Lord laid down His life that we might live, must we not also do the same?
119. A dead man is known by the stench of his corpse; a saint by the fragrance of Christ.
120. Fragrance testifies to life, noise does not.
121. If heaven recognizes no man according to the flesh, how then shall we be known?
122. Reality's riddle speaks thus:
All things new, yet the man is the same; Old things gone, though the
flesh remains.
123. Crucifixion does not amend the man.
124. A man who knows he is nothing and does not bristle when others say so is dead to himself.
125. Humiliation bears its fruit when the censure of men is borne in meekness.
126. If two mites exceed all contributions, what then does the Lord value?
127. Beggarly thoughts of Christ and inflated esteem of self render devotion a stench.
128. A Judas will kiss Christ's cheek, but not His feet.
129. How great is our God that Satan's thorn to the flesh issues in humility in a saint!
130. A vessel for the smith emerges from the furnace; therefore do not shrink from the crucible.
131. The counsels of man are morsels of death, sweet to the palate but wormwood to the soul; wisdom from above is bitter to natural taste but health to the heart.
132. The hand that goes slack in its vigil against evil joins forces in slaying its own conscience.
133. As Esau despised his birthright, so too has the church sold
hers for a mess of psychological pottage.