The End of Human Pride - The Book of Daniel - Daniel 4:1-37
Outline:
1. Nebuchadnezzar’s sneaky and self deceiving pride.
2. Nebuchadnezzar's pride gets one final direct and personal warning.
3. Nebuchadnezzar's pride meets its inevitable end.
4. The king humbled, pride replaced.
Scripture References:
- Daniel 3
- Romans 2:2-6
- Galatians 2:22-23
Application:
- Humility starts with seeing and confessing both God and our sin
- Humility is demonstrated in a life of spiritual fruit
- Humility is receptive rather than combative
- Humility leads to worship and joy rather than bitterness
Discussion questions:
- What was Nebuchadnezzar's response to God's repeated challenges to his pride in chapters 2, 3 and 4? What was missing from his response?
- What does this response teach us about how pride works in our hearts?
- What do we learn from Daniel's words to Nebuchadnezzar about confronting sin in others?
- What are some common areas of our lives that pride hides in undetected ways?
- What is the difference between a person who is truly humbled by God versus a person who on appears to be humbled?
- How is the gospel the ultimate source of humility?
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If you search up the words, "celebrating too soon" - you will get some of the best content that the internet has too offer.
Countless examples will flood you screen about people who's pride got the best of them in the midst of competitions or challenges, only to end up sprawled on the ground with dirt on their face.
- a runner who is first in the race who turns to mock his opponents and comes crashing down
- a soccer goal kick that bounces off the rim of the goal, sending the goalie to run around and celebrate only to have the ball slowly roll into the unattended goal.
There is something extra cringey and hilarious about moments when someone's pride gets the best of them - only to bounce back and bring their pride back down.
We are continuing our series on the book of Daniel today looking at the faithful life of God's people in the midst of a hostile and godless world.
Daniel is taken from his homeland in Jerusalem by the Babylonians as they conquered his city and land. He is indoctrinated into Babylonian culture and religion and he is given a job to serve in the government system of the enemies of his people.
Despite this tragedy Daniel and his friends remain faithful to God, even as they humbly work within the new situation that they find themselves.
One of the major plot threads that we see so far in the book of Daniel is actually God's intentional work with the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar.
In this chapter, God's work with Nebuchadnezzar comes to the forefront of the story - no matter how much Nebuchadnezzar tried to avoid God's humbling work in his heart, he was finally humbled by the Most High God.
READ Text - Daniel 4
1. Nebuchadnezzar's sneaky and self deceiving pride.
"To those of every people, nation, and language, who live on the whole earth:
May your prosperity increase. 2 I am pleased to tell you about the miracles and wonders the Most High God has done for me.3 How great are his miracles, and how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation. 4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and flourishing in my palace. 5 I had a dream, and it frightened me; while in my bed, the images and visions in my mind alarmed me. 6 So I issued a decree to bring all the wise men of Babylon to me in order that they might make the dream’s interpretation known to me. 7 When the magicians, mediums, Chaldeans, and diviners came in, I told them the dream, but they could not make its interpretation known to me."
Throughout this whole book, God is working with Nebuchadnezzar.
In this chapter this becomes very obvious. The chapters written from the perspective Nebuchadnezzar himself and he tells you something that happened to his heart.
Yes the book of Daniel is about Daniel and about the people God but the book of Daniel is also about God working in the world building in the world. And it's obvious that God is working in all places in the heart of all people including Nebuchadnezzar.
God is everywhere working and his kingdom is always being built in every moment of history even through the most unlikely person. God cares about every one of his creatures.
Gods people see a total tragedy the pagan Babylonians have invaded and taken over. But what God sees is his plan unfolding in history and he is using horrible people to accomplish his purposes.
Even as God is working through Nebuchadnezzar in through the Babylonians to discipline Israel for their unbelief god is also taking the time to care and work with the heart of this pagan rebellious king.
It's clear from the previous chapters that God is trying to communicate to Nebuchadnezzar that he is not the ultimate king but he thinks he is.
God is pushing down on the pride of Nebuchadnezzar.
And his response is interesting.
In chapter 2, he falls down and worships Daniel and proclaimed
“Your God is indeed God of gods, Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.” (2:47)
In chapter 3, he is amazed at how God rescues Shadrack, Mishak and Abednago -
28 Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel and rescued his servants who trusted in him. They violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I issue a decree that anyone of any people, nation, or language who says anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be torn limb from limb and his house made a garbage dump. For there is no other god who is able to deliver like this.” (3:28-29)
It's very clear in these moments that God is working with Nebuchadnezzar to challenge his pride and to reveal himself to him. And he appears to respond by acknowledging that.
And yet at the same time in a very next versus he turns around and runs back to his own prideful ways.
He builds a golden statue to celebrate himself.
He continues to live the same way he did before.
Now God sends him another set of scary nightmares.
What is interesting about this dream is that you don't have to be a genius to see a basic message in this dream.
A great and glorious tree is standing, and all the creatures of the world are cared by it.
A spiritual being, an watcher, an angel - makes a declaration - cut it down, put a chain on it, and then its obvious that this tree represents a PERSON
Let him be drenched with dew from the sky
and share the plants of the earth
with the animals.
16 Let his mind be changed from that of a human,
and let him be given the mind of an animal
for seven periods of time.
Hmmm - who could this be about?? What could this mean?
I think he was probably afraid because he understood that this dream like the previous one was about him. And very obvious from the dream that this dream if it is about him it means somethings not good is coming to him.
Notice what he does - he calls his magicians, mediums, Chaldeans, and diviners
why doesn't he just call Daniel in the first place?
Daniel comes with a different kind of power and wisdom. Daniel comes from the God who has been able to challenge and confront Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel comes from the God who makes Nebuchadnezzar uncomfortable. Daniel comes from the God who Nebuchadnezzar has been trying to avoid.
Nebuchadnezzar in his pride has responded to God challenging him in a way that has given him just enough space to acknowledge God to praise God but also for Nebuchadnezzar to keep God at an arms length distance and allow Nebuchadnezzar to keep living the way he wants.
This is the sneaky and slithery way in which pride snakes its way in through the human heart.
Sometimes it is in the form of outright full on rebellion to God.
Sometimes human pride work in a self deceiving way to affirm just enough to keep God at a distance and acknowledge him but also to preserve its own independence.
Nebuchadnezzar is ready to acknowledge God as A god - but not as THE ONLY GOD WHO REIGNS OVER HIM PERSONALLY.
God often comes to repeatedly confront our sins in our lives.
And there is a way that our prideful heart often takes to CONFESS GOD without truly CONFESSING OUR SIN.
There are many christianese ways that we can skirt by, and seem to acknowledge and receive God's truth - to say the right thing or to appear to be humbled - but all that we are doing is we are using God's own words and God's own mercy and grace to continue to dodge and run from him.
What is the posture of your heart today to the convicting and challenging work of God in your heart?
When God brings confrontation of your sin and pride in your life - do you receive it without qualification or explanation?
Do you truly live with a heart wide open to God's convicting Word to challenge and expose your faults?
Or are you full of very good confessions, christian words and explanations for all the reasons you keep struggling the way you do?
2. Nebuchadnezzar's pride gets one final direct and personal warning.
19 Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was stunned for a moment, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king said, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.”
Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, may the dream apply to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your enemies!
24 This is the interpretation, Your Majesty, and this is the decree of the Most High that has been issued against my lord the king: 25 You will be driven away from people to live with the wild animals. You will feed on grass like cattle and be drenched with dew from the sky for seven periods of time, until you acknowledge that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms, and he gives them to anyone he wants. 26 As for the command to leave the tree’s stump with its roots, your kingdom will be restored to you as soon as you acknowledge that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, may my advice seem good to you my king. Separate yourself from your sins by doing what is right, and from your injustices by showing mercy to the needy. Perhaps there will be an extension of your prosperity.”
It has been obvious what God has been doing with Nebuchadnezzar's part. Despite the obvious nature of God's work Nebuchadnezzar is missing the point he's missing the message.
So as a final warning God sends Daniel to speak directly to Nebuchadnezzar about his sin and call him to repent.
Notice once again the clear contrast between Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar -
Daniel is a man who walks in the light because of the way he lives it is very obvious and clear to the people around him that he is a different person.
Daniel's humility in the story is quite clear and it is his humility that makes him so powerful among the pagans.
Daniel and his friends lived in served the good of the city even though they knew that they lived in a culture that completely opposed their God.
They lived in opposition to the paganism an evil but that does not mean that they lived in continual opposition and rebellion against the government and against everything around them.
They served in high government positions. They obeyed most of the laws. But when the moment came to choose to obey God versus obeying the system if they're in they very clearly pivoted and disobeyed and were not afraid to do that.
It seems that Christians today have two extremes either be completely soft and give into everything at the world demands of them or be full opposition and only disagree and only rebel and only call out everything that is wrong.
Daniel could clearly see that God was here to confront the pride and paganism of Nebuchadnezzar.
At the same time Daniels approach to Nebuchadnezzar though he is speaking truth he is also very kind and caring and wishes him well.
Daniel humility before God enabled him to be a tool used by God to speak truth to her belly is king. What is the posture of my heart today? Am I a person who is posture and humility before God in a way that enables need to be used by God to speak truth to people around me both inside and outside the church?
"oh king, may this happen to your enemies, not to you...turn from your sins and do what is right!"
Are we able to speak with compassion to the most vile of rebels?
Nebuchadnezzar is NOT a safe person to confront. And yet Daniel was the one at peace and Nebuchadnezzar was afraid.
This also speaks to our ability to speak truth in the midst of sin and pride in the church.
Are we able to speak with gracious and loving honesty to people around us in the church?
God sends his clear warnings to our pride and our sin through his people.
There are two parts to the warning - exposing the sin, calling it out - naming it - and then a call for turning and repentance.
This chapter continues to prod and poke our hearts - how do we respond?
What is your posture when your sin and pride is challenged or confronted? Are you actively working to be open to others? If not, then you will automatically live in a defensive mode.
3. Nebuchadnezzar's pride meets its inevitable end.
28 All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months, as he was walking on the roof of the royal palace in Babylon, 30 the king exclaimed, “Is this not Babylon the Great that I have built to be a royal residence by my vast power and for my majestic glory?”
With all of Daniel's humble confrontation, Nebuchadnezzar does the same thing he did every other time - he just moved on with his life.
Twelve months goes by, life as usual - looking around admiring his wealth.
How can he be so insensitive? So blind?
Pride grows and hardens amidst our feeling of ease and prosperity.
Nebuchadnezzar hears all these challenges and all these confrontations - but then he goes out back to his balcony to think it all through, living in total peace and luxury - having everything he could imagine - and all these warnings they just seem to distant and unrealistic.
One of the most powerful defensive mechanisms that we have against God's convicting work in our hearts is to run to the things that give us a sense of comfort and security.
God gives him SO MANY WARNINGS! And he still goes the other way.
This is the total power of pride to make the heart totally blind to God and his ways.
One preacher tells the story of a blacksmith who got himself a new dog. The first few times the preacher visited the blacksmith after he got the new dog, the dog was barking and going crazy at the noise of the hammer on metal as the black smith worked. Over time, the barking got less aggressive. After a few weeks the preacher visited the blacksmith and found the dog asleep next to the blacksmith as he worked, totally immune to the clanging noise of the hammer.
In the same way, the human heart can become hardened and totally deaf to the repeated blows of the Word of God when it repeated responds as Nebuchadnezzar did - by turning away and making excuses.
Romans 2:2-6
2 Now we know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is based on the truth. 3 Do you think—anyone of you who judges those who do such things yet do the same—that you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you despise the riches of his kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? 5 Because of your hardened and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed. 6 He will repay each one according to his works:
Do you mistake the kindness of God as a sign of his absence?
"Ya I know, but this wont ever happen to me. Look I've been fine as I am this long.."
31 While the words were still in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared that the kingdom has departed from you. 32 You will be driven away from people to live with the wild animals, and you will feed on grass like cattle for seven periods of time, until you acknowledge that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms, and he gives them to anyone he wants.”
33 At that moment the message against Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people. He ate grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky, until his hair grew like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.
There is NO ESCAPE from the humbling hand of God.
Our sense of safety in sin is ALWAYS a delusion.
Sooner or later we will ALL be humbled by God.
It is only a matter of time.
You either WELCOME his convicting humbling work in your heart today, you bow the knee, you submit to his Word, you find life and peace - OR you resist, you keep fighting, you keep doing your own thing - and you will one day face the King of kings and Lord of lords, speechless, without excuse, to pay for all your rebellion on your own.
After repeated warnings Nebuchadnezzar was humbled - at the time when he felt most safe came the moment of his undoing with just one word from heaven.
Its interesting to observe regarding his mental condition here - some modern people laugh at sections in the Bible like this - he became like a cow? eating grass and living outside?
Yeah this is proof that the Bible is ridiculous.
Actually this is a real mental condition. Lycanthropy is the disorder where a person believes himself to be an animal. It apparently afflicts around 40 new cases per year.
The man who thought he was a god was lowered to the level of a beast.
His sin and pride lead to the sickness of his mind that brought disorder to his entire life.
In this case it was the direct intervention of God. But when we look around at a culture of mental health disorders - how can we not also make the connection that sin working in the heart eventually works itself out in the body and the mind.
So much of what we experience is the deteriorating work of sin in the heart and the body.
there is no escape from the wages of sin, what we sow is what we reap - all human pride is brought low at one point or another.
The clock runs out for every single one of us. and we have WAY less time than we think.
4. The king humbled, pride replaced.
34 But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity returned to me. Then I praised the Most High and honored and glorified him who lives forever:
For his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and his kingdom is from generation to generation.
35 All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing,
and he does what he wants with the army of heaven
and the inhabitants of the earth.
There is no one who can block his hand
or say to him, “What have you done?”
our sanity, our humanity, our glory - all returns when one main change happens - "i looked up to heaven"
Not within, not at me, not at my strengths and my glory or other people and what they say - look up and allow your heart to be brought low, to be undone, to be broken - by the total, complete, incontestable, incomparable glory and power and supremacy of GOD.
Have you ever had a moment where you are stopped cold in your tracks by a realization of God - by a speechless awe and wonder over who he is and how UTTERLY little you are in comparison??
There is no doctrine that is more likely to evoke either humility or rebellion than the total sovereignty and Lordship of GOD over EVERYTHING.
This penetrating understanding that without his help, without his grace, we cant even think, we can't even believe in him properly.
Before him we are NOTHING and there is NOTHING that can stop his hand - there is NOTHING that can stop what he is doing in the world.
What is really shocking about the God of the Bible, what makes him utterly unique - is that not only is he that one and only true God is has total control of everything that takes place, infinitely higher and more amazing than anything we can ever understand - but it is that in his power, in his total unstoppable authority - God condescends down to sinners like Nebuchadnezzar and works to not just HUMBLE their heart, but also provide a way of restoration.
What is it that evokes your DESIRE to humble yourself before God? Its is power coupled with his love and grace displayed here in some sense - but more fully displayed in Jesus.
God comes to humble us not just by his power and holiness, but by his own humility and love.
God entered history in Jesus, became one of us, lived a perfect life of obedience, love and compassion, God touched our brokenness, God came to speak to us in our dead and rebellious state. God then took the humbling penalty of sin that was owed to us.
why?
So that we, in our beastly stupidity and pride might look up at heaven and see his saving goodness and be forever changed.
34 Then I praised the Most High and honored and glorified him who lives forever:
For his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and his kingdom is from generation to generation.
35 All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing,
and he does what he wants with the army of heaven
and the inhabitants of the earth.
There is no one who can block his hand
or say to him, “What have you done?”
37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and glorify the King of the heavens, because all his works are true and his ways are just. He is able to humble those who walk in pride.
How do you know you have TRULY been humbled?
There were many times when Nebuchadnezzar APPEARED to have been humbled - but nothing really changed.
So it works in our lives. We can deceive ourselves so easily - how do we know that we are truly brought low?
Application:
- Humility starts with seeing and confessing both God and our sin
- Humility is demonstrated in a life of spiritual fruit
"you will know them by their fruits"
Galatians 2:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things."
one particular one to point to here is PEACE. When we are humbled we are at peace.
- Humility is receptive rather than combative
You welcome what God is telling you through the channels that he is telling you
you stop fighting
you feel free because you are not afraid to hear what you need to hear because you identity is captivated by GOD and all that he is
- Humility leads to worship and joy rather than bitterness
37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and glorify the King of the heavens, because all his works are true and his ways are just. He is able to humble those who walk in pride.