Session 10: Brought Low

Daniel 4:28–37 CSB

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?” 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. 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?” 36 At that time my sanity returned to me, and my majesty and splendor returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and my nobles sought me out, I was reestablished over my kingdom, and even more greatness came to me. 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.

This Week’s Focus

None of us accomplish success on our own; we all have people who help us out. This might include our teachers, coaches, family members, role models, or even strangers like the people who wrote the books we learn from. This could even be in small ways, like the friend who helped you beat a difficult video game or the grandparent who taught you how to use a fork when you were very young. But we often forget to thank these people or acknowledge their role in our successes. We like to think that we can do things all on our own. In this week’s session, we will see how the king’s pride got the best of him. No matter whether we are a student or a powerful king, God will humble our prideful hearts.

Central Truth

God will humble our prideful hearts.

Who are some people who help you succeed in life?

Do you thank them or acknowledge their help regularly? Why or why not?

Daniel 4:28–30 CSB

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?”

1. What was Nebuchadnezzar’s attitude toward his kingdom? His view of himself?

2. Why might God have allowed a whole year to pass after warning Nebuchadnezzar in a dream (see vv. 1-18)?

CONTEXT | What had happened to King Nebuchadnezzar twelve months prior?

In Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar was resting easy in his flourishing kingdom. Babylon was prospering under his watch, and the king had likely taken credit for that reality. So it was no surprise that when he had an uncertain dream, he began to panic (vv. 1-18). His kingdom had never been greater, but he knew it wouldn’t last forever. So, Nebuchadnezzar summoned all the magicians and enchanters to the palace to interpret what he saw. Daniel, of course, was his most trusted aid when it came to interpreting dreams, and he told the king what the dream meant: that the king would prosper until he became too proud. God would eventually humble him as a reminder that only the Most High God rules over all the kingdoms of the earth. The king would be sent out into the wilderness to live like a beast of the field (vv. 19-27).

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A whole year went by before his vision came to pass. Nebuchadnezzar knew what the dream meant. Daniel had been explicitly clear about what the Most High God was saying to him.

Daniel 4:27 CSB

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.”

The king knew what was coming if he didn’t change his ways—and he was even given time to do it. Daniel had urged him to break away from his sin by practicing righteousness and showing mercy to the oppressed (v. 27). Yet he still looked around at his kingdom and took credit for all of the prosperity. He even admitted he was doing it all for his own glory!

This scene on the palace roof paints such a vivid picture of Nebuchadnezzar’s pride. Standing from the highest point, he looked down over everyone and everything else. Palaces and empires require many people to build, but the king wasn’t thinking about any of them. He wasn’t filled with pride about all the people who had served and labored together. He wasn’t overcome with how much responsibility he had been given. He looked out and took credit for everything—speaking exclusively in the first person. His own power and his own glory were of utmost priority.

Though it is likely on a much smaller scale, we are just as prone to survey our lives and take credit for everything. When we stop and look at our accomplishments, our jobs, our families, and our abilities, we can so easily take pride in doing all of those in our own power. Not only can we overlook all the people that helped us accomplish any of those things, we can also fail to honor God along the way. Our pride only serves to give us a sense of validation—something we should ultimately seek from God, not just the things we do.

Key Question

3. What are some of the things we sometimes take all the credit for in our own lives?

Daniel 4:31–33 CSB

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.

And just like that, it all came to pass just as Nebuchadnezzar had seen in his dream. As he was relishing all of his own accomplishments and all the grandeur that he had built in his own name, it all came tumbling down. The words had not even left his mouth before God was removing his kingdom from his grip.

CONTEXT | What really happened to King Nebuchadnezzar?

The description of Nebuchadnezzar’s humiliation is undoubtedly bizarre. The text tells us that he was sent away from people and lived with wild animals. He even ate like an animal. Everything about the description of his behavior is animal-like. It is likely that Nebuchadnezzar experienced a kind of mental breakdown which led to this behavior. We know that when the period of time was over, his “sanity returned” to him (4:34). To draw too many conclusions about the specifics would be out of the scope of what the text offers us, but he was certainly far from himself for that period of time.

THERE IS A SUPERNATURAL NATURE TO THIS EVENT!

4. Why was living like a wild animal a fitting punishment for Nebuchadnezzar?

5. Are such extreme measures always required for God to humble us? Why or why not?

Francis Chan: “God, help me to humble myself, so that you don’t have to humble me!”

Nebuchadnezzar was driven into the wilderness, just as Daniel had warned him. He ate grass, his hair and nails grew long, and he lived as an animal would. We don’t know precisely how long the seven periods of time were—only that it was the right amount of time for him to be humbled. For someone as proud as Nebuchadnezzar, there wasn’t anything lower than living like an untamed animal. He went from one of the most powerful positions to the lowliest in an instant.

Being humbled, and certainly being humiliated, is usually a tough pill to swallow. It isn’t a fun process to be brought low. In reality, God isn’t out to humiliate us, but He does want us to remember that He is God and we are not. For Nebuchadnezzar, it required this drastic fall from the top to get his attention. It meant being totally isolated from the people who made him feel superior. He had become blind to everything except his own power and success. Pride does that to us. It blinds us to the needs and value of other people. It blinds us to our own vices and shortcomings.

This is one of the many reasons that Christian community is vital to our living like Jesus. We need faithful brothers and sisters who will challenge our pride and keep us accountable when we are not reflecting Jesus. When we have forgotten the ways that God has sustained and provided everything for us, we need others to point us to the truth.

Daniel 4:34–37 CSB

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?” 36 At that time my sanity returned to me, and my majesty and splendor returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and my nobles sought me out, I was reestablished over my kingdom, and even more greatness came to me. 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.

6. Did this mean Nebuchadnezzar was truly changed? Had he surrendered to Israel’s God?

7. What does it mean that he “looked up to heaven” (v. 34)?

At the end of that period of time (seven periods of time may not have been seven years), God’s judgment was complete. Having clarity of thought once again, King Nebuchadnezzar turned to the Most High God in praise. He looked up to heaven, meaning he sought God in his desperation. He recognized that God alone lives forever. He alone sets up and brings down kingdoms. He establishes kings and humbles them alike. The king had experienced that first-hand and would live differently because of that knowledge.

While King Nebuchadnezzar was humbled by God and saw the light of His power and ultimate reign, we can’t say whether the change was permanent. As a pagan, it was likely that he recognized Israel’s God was more powerful than other gods, but continued to worship some of these other gods as well. Regardless, the work of God was evident in the king’s life, and effective in his spiritual formation. God’s power was on display as the one who can humble even the most proud and most powerful by earthly standards.

Key Question

8. What does Nebuchadnezzar’s response teach us?

Despite all of his wrong action up to that point, when Nebuchadnezzar experienced healing, he praised God. It took drastic measures, but he finally realized his place in the grand scheme of God’s world. Realizing he wasn’t at the center, he could turn praise back to the God of Israel. We must recognize the Nebuchadnezzar in all of us that seeks to build our own kingdom instead of falling at the feet of the King of kings. When we are more worried about what we can do, accomplish, or acquire for our own name and glory, we will find it more and more difficult to genuinely worship God. But it was always God’s heart for Nebuchadnezzar to have a right view of God that led him to worship. That is why God desires us to live with humble spirits. Otherwise, we don’t have a right view of the one who holds everyone and everything together.

Be Vulnerable

Just like Nebuchadnezzar, when God humbles us—even if that process might be painful—our response should be praise. Consider sharing about a time you were humbled before God as a means of encouraging your students. How did you respond? How did that change how you moved forward?

Central Truth

God will humble our prideful hearts

9. Where does pride creep in most in your life and in your heart? Where are the unsuspecting ways pride comes to the surface?

10. What are the areas of your life where you are most prideful? Your achievements? Your family? Your popularity? Your morals?

11. Nebuchadnezzar needed a right view of God to learn humility. Is there any way you need a more accurate view of God?

12. How might your humility help improve your worship? How can worship help keep you humble before God?