Return to Reason

Return to Reason

28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 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?” 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.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. 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. 

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?” 

36 At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. 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. 

English Standard Version. Daniel 4:28–37.

In chapter 4 of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzer has a dream that troubles him, and Daniel is called in to interpret the dream. The dream is of a great tree that provide shelter for many others, but one comes from heaven and chops down the tree and its branches. Only the stump is left. He is left with the beasts of the grass and his mind is changed. Daniel interprets the dream and says, he hopes the dream is for the kings enemies. He says the tree is King Nebuchadnezzer and he is going to be cut down and driven mad, unless he breaks from his sins and does righteousness. 

God humbles the proud so they might find a glory greater than themselves.

Pride comes before the fall. What you see in this passage is a living, breathing, historical illustration of pride before the fall. 

• The Danger of being at Ease without God. 

I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. 5 I saw a dream that made me afraid.  Da 4:4–5.

This is probably near the later part of his reign. Thirty years after the last event in Daniel. Nebuchaddnezzer has accomplished so much. His building programs are complete, and he is at ease. 

He has built a golden statue 90 feet high that would have rivaled the ancient wonders of the world. 

Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Constructed for one of his wives, who had left the nearby mountains of Media for the plains of Babylon. These were to make her a mountain in the city and remind of her homeland. 

Built in one of the preeminent cities of history. The great historian herodotus visited babylon a hundred years after Nebuchadnezzar's day and was overwhelmed by its grandeur. Over two hundred years later Alexander the great planned to make it the headquarters of of his empire. 

Constantine

Bricks. It is said that all the brick of this time period have the inscription on them, “I am Nebucadnezzear, King of Babylon.” Durant, SOW 224.

He is successful. He is at ease. And he is without God. A dangerous place to be. 

He is at ease. He is carefree. Lighthearted. No enemies. No bills. Life is good. 

He is prospering. flourishing, pertaining to thriving, with the focus on contentment and adequacy of life; this adequacy implies a life of luxury, riches, good health or other such ideas 

He has moved to Alpharetta and enjoying life during the week, and getting to the mountains on the weekends and beaches on the three day weekends. 

What we can gather from this passage. 

-V37 in the end he praises and extols and honors God, so it is safe to assume he was not doing this in the beginning. He was extoling himself. 

-He is told to break off his sins by practicing righteousness, showing mercy to the oppressed. So he was oppressing others. 

-until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” he was not acknowledging God and assuming he earned everything he had. 

So what we can gather from this is King Nebuchadnezer is at the top of his game. He is elite in abilities and status. He is proud of what he has done. He even believes in God. But that belief is not of the true God, and he is not doing what is right. He has pushed God aside. Success, being blessed by God, does not mean God approves of all you do. Quite the contrary. God is bringing judgment on the king. The kings ways are contrary to God’s design. God says enough, and he takes it all away. 

You can be in the palace of a king and not be pleasing to God. God sends him a dream to wake him from his dream. This dream startles him just like the last dream he had. 

You may wonder if this story it true. Other than the Bible we dont really know. Royalties didn’t memorialize accounts of their flaw. History, time, invasions have not been kind to babylonian records. But there are extra biblical accounts that allude to the fact that he was “not unquestionably sane” (Durant, Story of the World, 223). 

• The Peril of Pride

Pride is the root of the kings problem. 

There is one vice of which no man in hte world is free; which everyone loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves. I ahve heard people adminst taht they are bad-tempered, or that they cannot keep their head about girls or drink, or even that they are cowards. I dont not thing I have ever heard anyone who was not a Christian accuse himself of this vice. And at the same time I ahve very seldomg met anyone, who was not a Christian, who showed the slightest mercy to it in others. There is no fault that makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are ore unconscienious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others. 

The vice I am talking of is Pride or Self-conceit: and the virtue opposite to it, in Christian morals, is called humility. According to Christina teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil is pride. Unchastitity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through pride that the devil became the devil. Pride leads to every other vice. It is the complete anti-God state of mind. CS Lewis in Daniel Aikin, Exalting Jesus in Daniel, edited by david platt, p42-43.

Pride is demonstrated in this king, but you don’t have to be a king to be proud. Even the lowliest of people can struggle with pride. **It’s not about how much you have, its about how big you think you are.** 

There are some key words used that shows the focus of a proud person, 

V30 “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”

My power. My majesty. I have built. I have done. No one else contributed; and if they did, it was miniscule to what I offered. Didn’t need your help. Didn’t need God’s help. That is evidence of a blinding pride. 

Pride causes us to think highly of ourselves, and less of others. 

It is no doubt the root cause of the first sin, “Pleasing, good for food, would be like God.” Were created to be like God in character and works, but wanted to be like God in authority. It was an overestimation of ones on worth and ability. 

Pride distorts our place in the world. It elevates us above God. It makes us think we are better than him. It begging with God and colors everything we do. 

Pride is an enemy to destroy, or it will destroy you. Humble yourself or God will humble you. Suffer at work. People don’t want to work with you. Cut off relationships. Intimacy. You don’t connect with others because you don’t seek to understand them. 

Does your spiritual astuteness have an alarm for pride? Nebuchadnezzer is top of his professional game, but he is a spiritual moron. Many people like this today. Super successful, but they have not applied themselves to spiritual growth so you have no category for leading your wife through emotional issues she is having. No category for talking to your kids about the struggles they are having. All you can do is come up with a four step problem and threaten them if they dont get it together. Those are signs you need greater spiritual discernment. 

When God takes away the things you are so confident in you dont know what to do. 

Let me give you some fruits of pride to mine in your life. Evidences that the sin of pride has a hold of you. 

• You think you are humble. Essentially, you don’t need any help. You have it together. You are at ease and see no problems with yourself. The problem is everyone else. If they could only be like you. You hope others will get their act together. 
• You are self sufficient. I have done. I am able. Don’t need God. Don’t need others. This is why God humbled Nebuchadnezzar. It was to show him how little power he really had. Often we are at ease with God when we dont truly know God. We assume he is like us. When God shows us himself and who we really are we are humbled.
• You are not teachable. You do not accept constructive criticism of others.  You don’t seek to learn from others. Who is a spiritual mentor or who do you go to for advice for problems you actually have???

The wise are humble and learn easily. Fools are proud and do not listen. 

• You crave attention. You want to be the hero. You want others to see and know what you have done. King Nebucahdnezzer was doing all this to make his name great. It drove him to madness.You want the praise.

-Let me say this, and it might be surprising. Depression can often be the result of pride. You want better than you got and so you are depressed. You are made you didnt do as well as you should have and you are angry. 

• You are overly concerned about what others think of you. What you look like. You work very hard to make it appear you are better than you are. Vanity. You don't like to be surpassed by anyone. You always want to come out on top. He has a good story. I have a better one.

For it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be put lower in the presence of a noble. Proverb 25:7.

• You don’t like being “ordinary.” You need to be around important people and tasks. You need to name drop. You don’t talk to those who are beneath you. You are too important for others.

-The proud mock others. Proverbs 21:24.

• You are Devastated by Failure. Proud people cant stand rejection, bad performance. You are not happy with who you are or what you have. You have an ideal of yourself that only the most wealthy, most beautiful, most successful will satisfy and life comes to an end when you dont live up to your own expectations. 
• You ignore God’s word. Why would you read it. You know everything you need to do. It’s not a big deal. If he knew my situation he would approve of what I am doing. You are at ease without God. 
• You will not admit mistakes. You do not confess your sins. You don’t let others in. God had to break King Nebuchadnezzer before he acknowledge any need for God, any limitations of himself, 

It’s been said if you don’t humble yourself, God will humble you. As you go through these, don’t be content to fail. Work hard, but work hard with your trust in the Lord. 

Recognizing your limitations doesn’t reduce your significance; it simply helps you to rest in who you are. 

The king thought he was indestructible. God shows him otherwise. And it is grace to learn this sooner than later. 

We cannot sustain our lives. Pride causes us to push away the one who does sustain us and the one to which we are to live for. Pride causes us to minimize and push aside the most important person in the universe. It severs our relationship with God 

• Restoration through Humility

Pride comes before destruct, humility before honor. 

That is a true proverb. It is generally true in life. The rule of the moral arc of the universe is long but it bends toward justice. Sometimes people do bad things and they get away with it… for a time. But God knows and he will deal with it. Sometimes proud people get away with their pride. Nebuchadnezzer certainly did so. But God does not allow injustice to prevail. Cant live in disregard of him and get away with it. 

We see the danger of pride. We also see the solution to it. Humility and a return to the Lord. Giving God the place he deserves in our life. For seven periods of time the king lives from men and ate grass like an ox, slept out side and was wet with the due of heaven, his hair grew unkept like an eagles feathers, and nails were like bird claws. 

The great aviator howard hughes. Brilliant man who went mad, was cut off from people, OCD. It happens today. With all the mental illness today, we need to remember we are spiritual beings and their is a spiritual component to all that we do and are. We have to take into account our relationship with God. Can we tell when our thoughts are out of bounds with God’s word. Can we tell when we have done things he doesnt approve of. Are we taking thoughts captive. If not the world will drive you mad. 

The king turns his eyes to heaven. He raised his eyes to the most high. I need to look up. I’m down here. He is up there. 

We are restored from pride by being restored to God. This passage clearly communicates how serious pride is to God. 

I praise the most high. I honor him. I am second. All the peoples of the earth are nothing compared to him. I am nothing without him. Cant give myself life or breath. Can keep my own mind sane. 

When you see what you cannot do, then you begin to see what God has done. You begin to speak of this and celebrate. Humble people praise him. Proud people dont admit their need. 

***Proud people are more concerned with making themselves appear great than making God great.** Too worried. Too scared. Too intimidated. REcognize it. Repent. You will find healing in every part of life.  

If you don’t think you need God you will not think you need other people. 

When you start looking to the Lord you start seeing clearly. Time in marriage you are upset at the other for what they did or are doing and sometimes you dont see how you are contributing to the problem. You ask the Lord to show you what to do and you start to hear the things they are asking of you. Time you are bitter and angry. You realize you dont deserve the things you are mad about not having. 

A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, 

yet their heart rages against the LORD. Prov 19:3.

Cant tell you how many people I have met to counsel over the year who could not believe how God had done them. They were mad their marriage was falling apart, mad that they had done everything right and still got fired for no reason. There are instances where you do everything right and things dont go your way. But I have also seen this proverb play out numerous time. They just cant believe in God because they did everything right and then a mess happened, wife left them, boss fired them, friends wont talk to. And I hear the circumstances and know the situation and have to say to them, your situation doesnt cause me to doubt God’s sovereignty one bit. In fact, this strengthens my faith, because you are doing everything he tells you not to do, and you are upset that you are getting what he said you would get. Thats not a hard conversation to have. Its hard because they are blinded by their own pride. 

People self medicate, isolate, run away, run to another rather than address issues in themselves. Will go to the grave in ruine rather than admit they have done something wrong. 

Nebuchadnezzer is restored by acknowledging his limitation, God’s soverignty, and eternal nature, and also by submitting to him. You are my king. I will do what you say, and I will seek to please you. 

He surrendered to God. He gave up everything to serve the true king. HE bowed to his feet. 

We find salvation in Christ by humbling ourself, realizing we have fallen short of God’s standard, and left to our own we could never earn our way back. We have nothing to offer him. Nothing to impress him. We come empty handed, and have to receive what he has done for us. Jesus died for us. He atoned for the mistakes we made. And he promises to forgive us, lead us, guide us, but we have to resolve to trust and follow him. 

• Proclaiming the Work of God. 

The conversion is not the end. The proclamation of what God did is the end. What you have heard is tantamount to Paul’s Damascus Rd experience. The blind man at the pool whom Jesus healed. That blind man couldn't tell you much about Jesus, but what he did know was powerful, “I was blind and now I see.” He encountered the living God and was changed.  

You are reading a book of the Bible about what God did in history and peoples lives. You have your own story. You have your own ways of how God has worked in your life. We are called to give him glory, called to be witnesses, and praise him. Dont keep it in. People need to hear it. 

True, what God has done in your life might not be the thing that all Christians of all ages need to know, as they do the Scriptures, but it just might be the thing God uses to encourage a friend, to get another person thinking about their walk with God. It just might be the thing that encourages our congregation. 

I was __ and __ 

but I met Jesus/ God acted …

now I am __ and ___.

We are called to be witnesses. Right here in the Old Testament you see the power of testimony. CAn you articulate how God has worked in your life? If we have experienced mercy we should have a longing to help others find that mercy and healing. 

I have tried to change how we think about church and small groups. Being a witness needs to be a more regular part of our small groups. We need to talk about what God is doing in your life or how you might share what you are learning. If we do not prepare on how to share our faith then we never will. Your friends need to hear how you came to surrender to him, how he humbled you and rid you of your pride. We need to submit to him, and it is a way we continue to put to death the pride of a godless life, and bring our lives into his plan for us.