The Pursuit of Happiness

A Meditation on Proverbs 8

Proverbs 8 teaches us that God used wisdom to establish the world (Prov 8:22-31). This truth highlights the significance of divine wisdom, which we need to perform any important task in life (Prov. 8:15-16). Moreover, we should pursue happiness by seeking wisdom because true happiness does not come from wealth, health, or sin. Instead, it comes from obtaining God’s favor through seeking His wisdom (Prov 8:10,19). Thus, wisdom plays an essential role in our lives and the writer of Proverbs encourages us to pursue it with diligence and devotion.

A Guarded Heart

מִֽכָּל־מִ֭שְׁמָר נְצֹ֣ר לִבֶּ֑ךָ
    כִּֽי־מִ֝מֶּ֗נּוּ תֹּוצְאֹ֥ות חַיִּֽים׃

Above all what you need to guard, guard your heart

                                              Because from it springs the streams of life [ my translation of Proverbs 4:23.]

This proverb is one of the most important sayings in the book of Proverbs because it presents a central truth of the Christian faith. A truth that directly shapes the life & worldview of a believer. The heart in ancient Hebrew literature represents the most inner-being of a person. It is synonymous with ‘soul’ or ‘mind.’ Therefore, it is so important to guard.

The priority of guarding the heart is apparent in the word order [original Hebrew structure] of the proverb, which opens with a prepositional phrase, מִֽכָּל־מִ֭שְׁמָר  literally rendered “above all confinement/guard.” Followed by the imperative נְצֹ֣ר “guard.” The prepositional phrase adds urgency to the imperative. Some English translations tried to convey this urgency by injecting an additional phrase to the imperative. Such as “with all diligence” [NASB] and “with all vigilance” [ESV]. However, the translators of the NIV were closer to the original Hebrew as they rendered the first line, “Above all else, guard your heart.”

 In my translation above, I tried to keep the sense of the original and the immediate context in the following few lines (In vv. 24, 25, we realize that there are other essential things that the writer of Proverbs urges his readers to guard.). The second line is a causal כִּֽי clause to explain the cause of the priority of safeguarding the heart in the first line, namely because the orientation of a person’s life is determined by the thoughts and desires that flow from the inner being. An unguarded heart can lead to foolishness and destruction, while a guarded heart is vital to true wisdom. ­­

References:

O’Dowd, Ryan. Proverbs. The Story of God Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2017

Reyburn, William David, and Euan McG. Fry. A Handbook on Proverbs. UBS Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies, 2000.

Williams, Ronald J., and John C. Beckman. Williams’ Hebrew Syntax. 3rd ed. The University of Toronto Press, 2007.

Joy That Renews: A devotional from Psalms to refresh your life every day by Steve Akerson

Joy That Renews: A devotional from Psalms to refresh your life every day by Steve Akerson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a great devotional book on Psalms. The author picks one specific verse from each Psalm and reflects on it. Most selected verses are simply joyful. However, the author sometimes reflects on challenging verses (see Ps 106:24).
Akerson’s style is straightforward, personal, and beautiful. He writes from a personal experience [ you almost feel like he has been blessed and wants to bless others by sharing his thoughts.] Although I appreciate his Christ-centeredness, given that Psalms is an Old Testament book, he sometimes went far with his Christology.
In general, the author did an excellent job connecting his reader with Jesus [ which is the ultimate goal of this devotional volume.] I was personally encouraged by this book. It filled me with joy and encouragement, and I gained some insights. For instance, I have realized that God’s grace is higher than my mistakes; Jesus will not abandon me even when I make a wrong choice. He is faithful even if I am not. Finally, I recommend this book to all who need to revive their personal relationship with the Lord.




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My Soul

I have a soul, and it has needs! Like the body, my soul has needs: a need to be quiet, a need for peace, and a need for a lord or god. In fact, I realized that I couldn’t be the ultimate lord of my soul. A soul without a lord is an unstable soul. Or let me put it this way, a soul without a god is lost.

Blessings Flow


Genesis 12:2 & Ezekiel 47:12.

If you take the time to reflect on God’s plan of Redemption, your faith will grow beyond yourself. Moreover, the path of blessings will not be one way anymore. That is from God to you. Instead, every blessing flowing from God will indeed evoke you to bless your neighbor. Thus, faith will become a living faith, and blessings will flow from the throne of God through you and into the world.

Why don’t I support Al Sisi?

I wrote this article in 2016, and I still don’t support tyranny.

H.N.AbdelMalek's avatarThe Word of the Lord

For many Egyptian Christians, Sisi is worth to be supported for several political and ecclesiastical reasons. Moreover, for entirely different reasons, some conservatives in the West prefer a strong military leader in Egypt. Nonetheless, I argue that supporting a lunatic tyrant cannot be justified.
Sisi might be fighting terrorists, but not terrorism in the broader sense. On the contrary, his unjust policies will lead to an insurgence of terrorism.
Every time, Christians choose to neglect their characterizing values for political and security reasons, they become unfaithful to their Lord and lose their witness to the fallen world.  Since I take God’s Word seriously; therefore, I cannot justify the deeds of an evil liar and a tyrant who torture, jail, and kill people for temporary peace.
True Christians should be faithful to Christ and his Word, not to a pope, a patriarch, or any earthly leader, and they are in no…

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Christian Worldview

If Christ is at the center of your worldview, you will understand that the Kingdom of God is not about you. Instead, it is about Him and your neighbor. True faith in Christ replaces the self’s locus with a serving servant heart in those who follow Him. Thus, faithful Christian, I urge you to embrace a genuine Christian worldview. A worldview that will transform how you approach God, your neighbour, your enemies, and yourself!

Out of Egypt 3: Egypt in the US

I always claim that life in the US is much better than in Egypt. Therefore, I quiver and tremble when I encounter here what reminds me of Egypt. Sadly, there are few places and institutions (let me call them pockets) in the US where some people seem to function within an Egypt-like frame. Pockets where clarity and fairness are almost missing, while deception and pragmatism dominate. These pockets remind me of Egypt and my time there. Therefore, I can’t stand these pockets, they bring back terrible memories to my mind. At any rate, thank God they are still few today, but what about tomorrow?! I hope that the spirit of Egypt will not dominate this country and that Babylon will not replace the Church. As someone said, “America is great because America is good.” I hope Americans will continue to distinguish between good and evil, or soon, no one will be able to differentiate between America and Egypt.

Out of Egypt 2: Contrast

When people ask me about the main difference between Egypt and the US. Usually, they expect to hear something along the lines of a different culture or lifestyle. My answer is simple. Here in the US, I don’t have to apologize for my own existence. I don’t have to feel guilty for being myself. This is not the case in Egypt, where I constantly feel the need to apologize for my very existence. In Egypt, tolerance often feels like a facade, and I’ve been told I should be grateful simply because my ancestors weren’t killed and I’m still alive.

Don’t get me wrong, the US is far from perfect. But it’s not Egypt. Here, I don’t live under a cruel tyrant and among people who hate me for having a different faith. And while I might still face hardship and suffering, I don’t live in a place that makes me hate myself or wish I were never born

Out of Egypt 1: More than a Place

For a long time, I thought that Egypt was just a place. A place of disappointment and struggle, a place of slavery where your dreams fade and die. In reality, however, Egypt is something more profound and disturbing. Something deep inside each one of us. Your Egypt wants to hunt you down every time you face a challenge. It is like a cancer that eats your joy cells. But don’t let your Egypt get you down; trust in God, for there is hope in His promises; there is always hope.