Truth Magazine

By Connie W. Adams

Among those men who have touched my life and influenced me in the work of the Lord, H.E. Phillips holds a unique place, His faith in the Lord and untiring devotion to the cause of truth have made him one of the true heroes in my lip. This article is written as a tribute to him. Sometimes we wait until people have passed away to say kind things about them. I would like for him to “smell the roses” now.

I first met H.E, and Polly Phillips in 1950 when I preached in Lake City, Florida. I was 20 years old and had just married. There was a family in the congregation there who kept telling us about “Elwood” Phillips and his wife. They had worked in meetings in that area. During a meeting in north Florida, we met for the first time. His knowledge of the Bible and ability to effectively express it made A great impression upon me. Though older and more experienced, he put me at ease and treated me as a fellow-preacher. Polly’s outgoing personality and sense of humor made her a delight. Here was a model marriage.

As the years passed and great changes beset the churches of the Lord, the character and conviction of this servant of God were tested again and again. It was his love for his brethren which prompted him and James P. Miller to start the Florida Newsletter which soon became the Southeast Newsletter in the hope that communications could be kept alive while brethren had time to study the issues of sponsoring churches and the relationship of local churches to human institutions.

Searching the Scriptures

It was in January, 1960 when the first issue of Searching the Scriptures went into the mail. H.E. Phillips and James P. Miller had given birth to a periodical which has lasted now for 30 years. While both men wrote, it was H.E. Phillips who handled the editorial work. James P. Miller did much to gather subscriptions and help with the circulation of the paper. As the years passed, the pressure of the work took its toll. Determined not to let his work as a preacher suffer, he would attend to that during the day and then often work until 4 or 5 in the morning, writing, proofreading and handling correspondence, It was a labor of love and it reached the hearts of many people and taught them the truth. But it exacted a price in terms of failing health. When the bills were greater than the income from the paper, he borrowed money, sometimes against his insurance, to keep printing bills paid.

How many people have been influenced for eternity by these monumental efforts, only God knows. Always, the objective was to teach the truth, regardless of what it might cost. Error had to be opposed and that was not popular with some. Through it all, there was a spirit of fairness toward all. There was balance and the exercise of good judgment.

Two major heart attacks forced the decision to make other arrangements about the paper. When the agreement was reached that I should carry on with the publication of the paper, we met in Atlanta, along with two other brethren, to work out the details. We all got down on our knees in a motel room, and prayed for my work, for loyalty to the Lord and the Scriptures, for my good health, for lengthening of his days and for his faithful companion, Polly, who stood by his side and sacrificed much in order that he might do the work he had undertaken.

In the years since that spring of 1973, he has been a rock of strength for me. There have been man I y times when I have called on him for advice in dealing with some of the difficult problems an editor has to handle. His concern has always been for truth. He has been open and candid. His writings have appeared on the front page of the paper, except for special issues when there was a sequence to follow. There has been variety in these articles but always there has been an appeal to the Scriptures.

True Friends to Young People

Not only have the Phillipses succeeded in rearing three daughters to serve the Lord, but all of their grandchildren who are old enough to be accountable are faithful Christians. That says a great deal. In addition, they have a large “extended family” of younger people (several of whom are preachers and elders, and their wives) whose lives have been enriched by the love and attention given to them in the home of these good people. When my sons went to Tampa to attend Florida College, I urged them to attend services where brother Phillips was the preacher. I knew they would hear the word of God preached without fear or favor and that they would be blessed by the personal association with the Phillipses. I was right. Our daughters-in-law also attended there and shared in the warmth of this couple as they were often in their home. Among those young people, so blessed, were two young Italian brothers who stayed in the Phillips’ home while attending Florida College.

Common Memories

In 1976 we made a trip to Italy to preach. We met at Kennedy Airport in New York. I’ll never forget the prayer offered by my good brother, as we walked off to a quiet place before boarding the 747 for Rome. The intense Bible discussions with Italian brethren, the adroit fielding of questions, the courtesy and good humor, the sense of gratitude for all the kindnesses shown us – these and many other like things, were incidental lessons to me. We wept together at our parting from the Italian brethren who came to bid us farewell at the airport.

When the darkest hour of my life came and Bobbie crossed over to the other side, leaving me lonelier than I had ever been, Elwood Phillips caught a plane and came to be at my side. He sat with the family at the funeral. The prayer he offered at the funeral home is forever etched in my memory. His presence at the house the evening after the funeral, along with family and a few good friends, meant a great deal more than words can express.

We were with them in Nashville in December, 1988 to attend what has been called “The Nashville Meeting” where we sadly marvelled at how far from the truth some of the brethren had gone.

In March of this year, during a meeting in which I preached at Palmetto, Florida, Elwood and Polly came down and spent a day with us. We had lunch together and spent several hours discussing the work of the Lord in general and that of the paper in particular. Once more, he lifted my spirits and encouraged me to stand for the truth. How could one not love such a friend?

Still at Work

Besides writing for the paper, H.E. Phillips serves as one of the elders of the Fletcher Avenue church in Tampa and shares some of the preaching with Everett Hardin. He still holds some meetings and probably could work in a few more. While health problems continue, his mind is keen and his interest in the kingdom of God undiminished.

Our readers should know that, had it not been for H.E. Phillips, this paper would not be in your hands now. For whatever good you have received from the columns of this paper, you owe a debt of gratitude to H.E. Phillips. Why not take a few moments and write him a note. It will do you good, and it will lift the spirits of a genuine hero of faith. Thanks, Elwood and Polly, for all you have done for the cause of Christ, for this paper and for me and my family.

You may address them: P.O. Box 1631, Lutz, FL 33549.

Guardian of Truth XXXIII: 17, 513, 536-537
September 7, 1989

By Buford E. Davidson

A recent bulletin said, “Too many of my brethren criticizing the church, the elders, the preachers, teachers and their brethren and the church would grow if they would just keep their mouths shut.”

The dictionary defines a critic as one who judges, evaluates, or criticizes. Criticism is defined as: (1) the act or art of analyzing and judging the quality of something. (2) The act of passing severe judgment; censure, faultfinding” (Random House College Dictionary).

Never fear the critic. He is your best friend. If his criticism is in kindness, he desires to help you. If his criticism is through envy, you may yet learn ways of improvement. Answer your friend’s criticism by a better service and answer the unkind critic with a closer application to your task.

No right thinking person is ever harmed by criticism. Success in this world is in being not only better than the average, but better than the best. The perfection of the automobile is the annual production of a better car.

The development of the phonograph was a far step in providing music for every home, but the radio is better. The cinema was entertaining, but the talking motion picture far superior. Critics of their imperfections started the manufacturers to the production of the better. The whole business world moves forward by reason of severe criticism of patrons that compel study in industrial laboratories.

The home, the school, the church, and most of all the individual, are not without defects that invite criticism. How much one can take will determine how far one may improve. Resentment of criticism forbids improvement. If a person will not think and learn, he may not know wherein he has weaknesses and defects.

Every piece of steel in an automobile is tested for strength, every radio for perfection in blended tones. The perfect motion picture comes after many rehearsals, and many productions in attitudes and ensemble.

Many people resent any form of criticism, yet it is one of the greatest of teachers and implements for the improvement of one’s character. Criticism helps us grow in grace and knowledge, if we accept the criticism and apply its lesson to our character.

How do you react to criticism? Does it stir your anger and sometimes cause you to despise the critic? Or, do you accept it with a greater determination to improve and overcome faults and imperfections? The person’ who learns to handle criticism and to profit thereby has truly learned a great test of character.

Guardian of Truth XXXIII: 16, p. 493
August 17, 1989

By Mike Willis

The book of Ruth records the life of a virtuous woman whose name has been recorded in the honor roll of faith. An unlikely hero of the Old Testament because she was from the Moabite nation, Ruth won the respect of God’s people and an honored place in the genealogy of the Christ.

The Historical Narrative

During the judges, a man from Bethlehem named Elimelech was forced by a famine to leave his hometown in search of food. With his wife Naomi and his two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, he moved to Moab. For ten years the family sojourned in Moab. During this time, Elimelech died, leaving Naomi a widow. Her two sons married non-Israelite women, named Orpah and Ruth, in disobedience to the law of Moses (Deut. 7:1-4; 23:3-6). Sometime later, they also died.

Desolate in a foreign country, Naomi resolved to return to Bethlehem. When her two daughters-in-law desired to return with her, she encouraged them to stay in Moab where their prospects for marriage were better than in Israel. Orpah consented but Ruth did not. In one of the most memorable statements of the Bible, Ruth expressed her resolution to go to Israel with Naomi:

Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me (Ruth 1:16-17).

After arriving in Bethlehem, Ruth assumed the obligation of providing for Naomi and herself. She went into the fields and gleaned with other poor folks. In the providence of God, she gleaned in the field of Boaz, a near kinsmen to Elimelech. In the course of time, she appealed to Boaz to perform the obligation of a levirate husband to raise up seed to his deceased relative. Boaz took Ruth as his wife. She conceived a son named Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of King David.

Lessons From Ruth

There are a number of lessons we can learn from the book of Ruth. Please consider them with me:

1. Ruth forsook all to trust under the wing of Jehovah. Naomi recognized that Ruth’s prospects for future happiness were much better in Moab than in Israel. In Moab she was among her own people; in Israel, Ruth was a foreign woman unlikely to ever remarry. Nevertheless, Ruth turned her back on her own people and their gods to cast her lot with the people of God.

What Ruth did was more than loyalty and devotion to her mother-in-law; it was an act of faith which was recognized as such by the inhabitants of Bethlehem. Unlike Orpah who went “back unto her people, and unto her gods” (1:14), Ruth said to Naomi, “. . .Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God” (1:16). Boaz recognized this conversion when he said, “The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust” (2:12).

Isaac Errett described her conversion in these eloquent words:

Ruth breaks the last tie that binds her to her own country and people; abandons her kindred, renounces her gods, and by a sublime act of faith weds herself to a new religion, a new people, and a new life – a life which holds out to her no other earthly charms than poverty and toil among strangers. . . . It was no small sacrifice – it was all, and with no prospect of compensation, except in the approval of the living Jehovah in whom she put her trust. She can not be supposed to have been brought to this decision merely through her love of Naomi (Evenings With the Bible, Vol. 1, p. 282).

2. She was committed to Naomi. Ruth loved her motherin-law Naomi. Naomi was one of the Lord’s people who, like Job, has been called to suffer. The plight of Naomi was terrible and is aptly described in these words:

“Of the two sexes,” says Fuller, “the woman is the weaker; of women, old women are most feeble; of old women, widows most woeful; of widows, those that are poor, their plight most pitiful; of poor widows, those who want children, their case most doleful; of widows that want children, those that once had them, and after lost them, their estate most desolate; of widows that have had children, those that are strangers in a foreign country, their condition most comfortless. Yet all these met together in Naomi, as in the centre of sorrow, to make the measure of her misery pressed down, shaken together, running over. I conclude, therefore, many men have had affliction – none like Job; many women have had tribulation – none like Naomi” (James Morison, The Pulpit Commentary: Ruth, p. 4).

Ruth recognized Naomi’s plight and was moved with love and compassion to go with her and stand by her in her hours of need.

We hear many mother-in-law jokes because of the friction between in-laws. There was no such friction between Ruth and Naomi. They loved and cared for each other. Such deep friendships come rarely in life and, where they exist, they are a ray of sunshine in the midst of dark clouds. Ruth became to Naomi better than seven sons (4:15).

3. She was a virtuous woman. Ruth won the respect of the community about her by her devotion to Naomi, her industriousness, and her virtuous conduct. When she labored in the field, the workers noticed how hard she worked saying, she “hath continued even from the morning until now, that she tarried a little in the house” (2:7). Boaz said, “It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law since the death of thine husband” (2:11).

Again he said, “For all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman” (3:11). Not only did she work hard, she maintained her purity, winning the respect due a virtuous woman.

4. She trusted in the Lord’s provisions. She was content to accept the provisions which God had made for widows such as Naomi and herself. She joined other poor people to glean in the fields to provide for themselves, even as the law of Moses demanded (Lev. 19:9; 23:22; Deut. 24:19). Without complaining, Ruth worked hard to provide for her mother-in-law and herself.

She trusted in the Lord’s provision for a levirate marriage. She appealed to Boaz to perform the duties of a near kinsman to raise up seed to one who died childless (Deut. 25:5-10). She walked within the law in both of these respects.

5. She walked in the pathway of duty. Ruth turned her back on the pleasures of life in order to do what duty demanded. Orpah turned her back on duty to find a pleasurable life on earth. Orpah was more nearly like those widows Paul described who “liveth in pleasure” and are “dead while she liveth” (1 Tim. 5:6). On the other hand, Ruth turned her back on pleasure to discharge her duty her duty to God and Naomi.

Ruth sacrificed everything that could fascinate a young woman to fulfill the demands of duty. She gave up association with her family, kinsmen, and friends to move to Israel. She committed herself to caring for her aged mother-in-law who could not provide for herself (Naomi did not go to the fields with Ruth). While others were enjoying life’s temporal pleasures, Ruth was fulfilling her duty. In the Expositor’s Bible, Robert A. Watson wrote, “To deny the higher light which shows the way of personal duty and nobleness, to prefer instead the miserable rushlight of desire is the fatal choice against which all wisdom of sage and seer testifies.” Ruth was a wise woman who was committed to duty.

I Have Met Ruth and Orpah

Yes, I have met both Orpah and Ruth – not the ones of the text of the Bible – but women who walked in the footsteps of both women. I have met Orpah in the presence of those women who turned their backs on duty to pursue personal pleasure. These are the women who find their obligations to care for their children to be unexciting and unfulfilling. They are dissatisfied with their lot in life. They start looking for happier circumstances and situations. Soon they find their “dream boat” who will take them away from their miserable existence. Forsaking the husband of her youth and her precious children, this modern day Orpah commits herself to happier times on earth without regard to the pain she inflicts on those committed to her care.

I have met more than one Ruth. These are the women who commit themselves in loving obedience to God, regardless of how harsh are the circumstances in which they live. Like Ruth of old, they devote themselves to fulfilling their obligations to God and those others entrusted to their care. I would like to introduce you to several of these Ruth’s:

Ruth 1 is a younger woman whose husband was a, gospel preacher. He become sexually involved with a member of the church where he was preaching. When he would not cease his sin., this woman divorced her husband and undertook the task of rearing her children alone. Recognizing her deficiencies in the job market, she returned to college, completed her degree, and is now working to support herself while rearing her children to serve the Lord.

Ruth 2 and 3 are two widows, one the daughter of the other, who attend where I worship. The daughter lost her husband first and sometime afterwards her father suffered a stroke which left him paralyzed from his waist down. For over eleven years, the mother and her daughter committed themselves to caring for their disabled husband and father. The way of duty prevented them from enjoying many of life’s pleasures; they have existed on meager incomes. Like Ruth of old, they were devoted to fulfilling their duties toward God and those committed to their trust.

Conclusion

The years have passed. The lives of both Orpah and Ruth have long been concluded. Orpah’s name has passed into oblivion, having been forgotten except by a rare few who remember the names of obscure Bible characters.

Ruth passed down to her children an honorable name a name still given to young ladies. She received her reward of righteousness, a son named Obed, She was the great grandmother to King David and an ancestor to Jesus the Christ. Her name is included alongside the 42 men who are given in Jesus’ genealogy (Matt. 1:5).

Our modern day Ruth’s will also pass down a legacy to their families – a legacy which teaches their children to be devoted to God and to those committed to their care, a legacy to fulfill one’s obligations to duty, a legacy to have one’s name written in the book of life. May Ruth’s Godfearing conduct be an example to each of us!

Guardian of Truth XXXIII: 16, pp. 482, 502-503
August 18, 1989

By Irvin Himmel

Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished (Prov. 16:5).

Like unbelief, pride is found at the root of all rebellion against God. It is an attitude of heart which keeps the creature from bowing in submission to the Creator.

Pride Defined

We commonly use the word pride in both a good sense and a bad sense. When we use the word to denote reasonable self-respect, that is a good sense. Every person needs to maintain self-dignity. An individual who has absolutely no respect for himself is in bad shape. To say that one takes pride in his work usually means that he wants to do his work well.

“Pride is never used in a good sense in the Bible but is always condemned” (E.M. Zerr). The Bible speaks of pride in the sense of vanity, haughtiness, arrogance, conceit, inordinate self-esteem, or egotism. Pride often manifests itself in boastfulness and the seeking of honor, attention, or acclaim. Pride multiples disobedience.

Three Examples

(1) Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon in the days of Daniel, was lifted up with pride. Walking in his palace, the king said, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?” (Dan. 4:30) God knocked this arrogant king from his pedestal by taking away his sanity. Nebuchadnezzar was driven from among men, ate grass as oxen eat it, became wet with the dew of heaven, and his hair grew like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws. After his reason returned, the king of Babylon honored the king of heaven, acknowledging that those who “walk in pride” God is able to abase (4:37).

(2) The Edomites, dwelling in what they thought was an impregnable natural fortress, felt secure even when they sided with the enemies of God’s people. At various times in history they showed hostility toward the Israelites. The prophet Obadiah foretold the doom of Edorn. Said the prophet, “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?” Obadiah continued, “Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord” (Obad. 3,4). God did in fact knock the Edomites from their “nest among the stars.”

(3) The Pharisee in the parable in Luke 18:9-14 is a classic example of pride. In the temple this arrogant fellow prayed thus with himself, “God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.” After giving thanks that he was such a fine dude, he boasted of his works. “I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.” What folly for a man to brag before his Maker! In contrast to the proud Pharisee, the humble publican confessed that he was a sinner and asked for mercy.

Pride and Abomination

An “abomination” is something loathsome, utterly detestable, disgusting, or hated. When the writer of Proverbs listed six things, yea seven, which are an abomination to God, the first on the list was “a proud look” (Prov. 6:16, 17). In harmony with this, our text says, “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord.” No matter how man may consider pride, God finds it disgusting.

Though Hand Join in Hand

In 11:21, this proverb is found: “Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.” The expression “though hand join in hand” is taken by some to be striking hands as a pledge, therefore it means that something is made sure. The New American Standard Bible renders it “assuredly.” If this be the correct rendition, our text is saying that assuredly the proud in heart will not escape punishment.

Another view is that “though hand join in hand” means joining with others in whatever is under consideration. If this be the preferred meaning, our text is saying of the proud in heart, although others may hold hands with them in their unrighteous ways, God will punish them. The fact that many are involved in a wicked practice does not make it less abominable to God. Evil confederates will not get one off the hook. “The power of sinners cannot secure them against God, though they strengthen themselves with both hands. Though they may strengthen one another with their confederacies and combinations, joining forces against God, they shall not escape his righteous judgment” (Matthew Henry).

Pride and Punishment

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). Jesus said, “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased: and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Lk. 14:11; 18:14). If people do not humble themselves to serve God, they will be abased with everlasting misery in the world to come. “When pride cometh, then cometh shame” (Prov. 11:2). Men and women who are too proud to bow to the will of God must face eternal shame.

Let us cast away pride and learn true humility of heart. “God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” (1 Pet. 5:5,6).

Guardian of Truth XXXIII: 16, p. 486
August 17, 1989