Pride Comes Before the Fall
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Summary of Last Week:
King Nebuchadnezzar had a golden image setup for people to worship.
Daniel’s friends, Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego did not worship it.
A group of Chaldeans snitched on them and had them thrown into a fiery furnace.
God delivered them from the fiery furnace, though they were in there, not a single hair was burned on them.
The chapter ended with Nebuchadnezzar giving Daniel’s friends a promotion and honoring their God.
Last week we see that after Nebuchadnezzar saw the power of God, he honored the one true God. This is where we are at now.
Who in here likes a arrogant person?
Who likes someone who thinks they are so cool and that the world revolves around them?
Has anyone noticed yet how Nebuchadnezzar is a little arrogant?
I mean last week, we saw that he literally had a statue erected that resembled his kingdom and forced people to worship it.
More than arrogance, it seems that Nebuchadnezzar was also a little bit narcissistic.
But for now we are going to get into Daniel Chapter 4 and we are going to see where Daniel’s pride and arrogance brought him.
Nebuchadnezzar Introduces Himself
Nebuchadnezzar Introduces Himself
In the opening section of Daniel 4, we see that Nebuchadnezzar is the speaker and he is openly praising God.
It seems that Nebuchadnezzar is the speaker because the chapter starts with him identifying himself: Daniel 4:1
1 King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you!
This kind of writing is similar to how someone would write a letter and introduce themselves in the beginning.
What this means for us, is that Nebuchadnezzar himself is the one who is going to be telling us this story. This is called a first-hand account, meaning it is coming from the person who actually experienced what is being said.
Next Nebuchadnezzar explains to us his purpose for telling us this story:
2 It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.
He wants to tell us about something that God done for him. So this story is a firsthand account of what God has done for Nebuchadnezzar.
This is similar to someone giving a testimony. Nebuchadnezzar is going to be testifying to us what God has done for him.
Now lets dive into what his testimony is.
Nebuchadnezzar Has a Dream
Nebuchadnezzar Has a Dream
He has a dream that scares him.
He calls for his magicians and enchanters to come and interpret the dream for him but they cannot.
He then calls Daniel because he knew that the Spirit of God was within him.
Nebuchadnezzar tells Daniel the dream:
He saw a great big tree in the midst of the earth.
The tree grew and grew until it reached the heavens.
The tree had beautiful leaves and fruit, animals took shade under it, birds lived happily in this tree and everyone on earth ate from the tree.
Then a angel appears and commands that the tree be chopped down, along with its fruit and everything. Nothing was to be left of this tree except the stump. The stump was allowed to remain.
Then the angel says let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts of the earth and let his mind be changed from a man’s and let a beasts mind be given to him, and let 7 years pass over him.
The angel then finishes up and says that what has been said is from holy angels so that the people may know that God rules over the kingdom of men and gives kingdoms to whom he wills sets kingdoms over the lowliest of men.
Daniel is freaked out by this dream and does not know what it means! Daniel then gives the interpretation
Daniel’s Interpretation
Daniel’s Interpretation
a. The tree that the king saw was the king. His kingdom had grown so large just like the tree had.
b. Likewise, just like he saw the tree get chopped down his kingdom will be chopped down, the king is going to driven from civilization and he will go insane in his mind and will act like an animal. Just like an animal he will eat grass and sleep outside.
c. This shall continue to happen to him until he declares that the Most High is the one who is in charge of the kingdoms of men.
d. Daniel finishes his interpretation by telling the king he needs to repent of his sins that he has committed toward God, and start practicing what is right, he also tells him to show mercy to the people, for by doing this God may lengthen his prosperity.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Disobedience
Nebuchadnezzar’s Disobedience
Exactly one year after this happened, Nebuchadnezzar was walking about his palace and he says:
30 and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”
In this statement, Nebuchadnezzar was giving himself all the glory and honor for the kingdom, and he did not acknowledge that God was the one who gave him all this power and wealth.
Therefore the Lord fulfilled the prophetic dream.
The Lord spoke to him:
31 While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you,
32 and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.”
Nebuchadnezzar mentions that:
33 He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.
Nebuchadnezzar Humbles Himself
Nebuchadnezzar Humbles Himself
After 7 years of living like an animal, the king finally looks up into heaven and God gives him his reason back, then Nebuchadnezzar confesses blessings and honor to God Most High:
34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;
35 all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”
The Lord restored the kingdom to Nebuchadnezzar and made it greater.
Nebuchadnezzar finishes his testimony by giving us these words:
37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.
So What?
So What?
This story was a story about a man who became so consumed with himself and his own kingdom that God had to humble him before he led himself and his kingdom to destruction.
Who has ever heard the saying: “Pride Always Comes Before the Fall.”
Pride Comes Before the Fall
Pride Comes Before the Fall
This is what we learned about pride from this story:
Pride is toxic to others.
Nebuchadnezzar’s pride caused him to be oppressive and hateful to people.
Our pride will do the same to us if we do not humble ourselves.
ii. People who walk in pride will walk themselves out of the plans of God.
God had made Nebuchadnezzar into a big and fruit kingdom, but his pride he would not let go, therefore God took what he gave him.
If we walk in pride, God will do the same to us. God’s blessing will not be on the life of someone who does not honor him.
Some other things that pride does:
It keeps you from handling your weaknesses properly.
When someone is prideful, they want to fix everything themselves, they do not want help.
Someone who is humble is not afraid to ask for help.
It leads to overconfidence.
When someone is prideful they may think they are able to do certain things they actually can’t and as a result get themselves or someone else hurt.
How then shall we act as Christians?
12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
As Christians you and I are not called to be prideful and arrogant. We represent Christ on earth to all those who are lost.
Think about how Christ was when he was on the earth:
He was humble.
He served others.
He used his divine powers not for his own gain but for ours.
He willingly sacrificed his body on the cross, not for himself but for us.
Christ is the perfect example of a humble servant.
If we are to represent him well, we must put off our pride and seek to be humble.
As we conclude tonight I want you all to think and pray about these questions:
How am I being prideful in my everyday life?
What is God trying to show me that I need to repent of?
How can I be more humble and serving like Christ was?
