All of us have dwelling within us the sin of pride. It is that feeling of accomplishment that says, “Look what I did.” Pride is an excessive preoccupation with ourselves. It is focused on our own importance. It makes much of achievements, status, and possessions and wants others to know about them. Pride is a sin against a holy God. It is rebellion against Him because it takes the glory and honor that only God alone is due. Everything good can ultimately be traced back to God. Our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being are all due to his blessings.
In the book of Daniel, we find King Nebuchadnezzar. A king who was preoccupied with himself. His kingdom was great, and he attacked Jerusalem and took what he wanted and who he wanted. He took vessels from the house of God, and he brought the best of the young men back to Babylon. There are four of those that are named in the book of Daniel. We have the three Hebrew young men that survived being thrown into the fiery furnace. Then we have Daniel. All four took stands for God and would not compromise even though their lives were threatened.
Daniel had remained true to God. He was known for his faith, and even though the king was not a believer he respected Daniel’s faith. The king had a dream and none of his wise men could interpret it, therefore, he called on Daniel to interpret it for him.
Daniel 4:4-9 “I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace: I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. Therefore, made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream. Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof. But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying, O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubled thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.”
Daniel tells him that God would take his kingdom from him, and he would eat grass in the fields like the cattle. In our terminology, he would lose his mind for a period of time. In Daniel 4:30, you can feel his pride as he speaks of his great kingdom. He says, “I have built.” He takes credit for everything that God has done. Now in verse 31, we see the fulfillment of the dream. His kingdom departs from him and in verse 33 he would be driven from his kingdom. The commentator Albert Barnes says, “the bible does not tell us who would drive him but that it would be done. He becomes a maniac and is thrust out of ordinary society.” This proud man was now eating and living with the wild beast of the field. His body was wet with the dew, his hair had grown like eagle’s feathers, and his nails were like bird claws. He truly was a man who was out of his mind.
Daniel 4:30-31 “The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty? While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.”
Daniel 4:33 “The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.”
God now had Nebuchadnezzar’s attention! We see in verse 34 that he is thinking in his right mind and begins to praise the Most High God! While he had witnessed the miracles of God through the saving of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, and had confidence in Daniel because of his relationship with God, he still had not bowed to the God of Heaven. However, God knew how to turn his eyes toward Him, and he begins to worship Him.
Daniel 4:34 “And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored him that lives forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:”
Daniel 4:37 “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.”
A good lesson for each of us to understand is that we are nothing on our own. It is only by God’s grace that we live. All of our abilities are given by Him. We do not choose who our parents will be, or what country will be our heritage. Anything about us we consider good is from God. God hates pride and he is able to humble us and get our attention. In Proverbs 16:5, we are given a good picture of how God feels about pride.
Proverbs 16:5 “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.”
He is also able to help us overcome the sin of pride. Getting to know Him through study and prayer is the best way to become humble. When you see Him as the God of the universe, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords in all His majesty, you can’t help but be humbled. We will be like Isaiah in chapter 6 when he saw a vision of the Lord.
Isaiah 6:5 “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”
