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The Insanity of Pride--and God's Humbling Solution

Summary

"Those who walk in pride he is able to humble" Daniel 4:37

GOSPEL: This chapter is a warning to the proud. God is sovereign over everyone and everything. We are not, and to believe anything else is arrogant and insane. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Jesus is the greater King, who models the humility we need, by voluntarily humbling himself, even though he was God. His death on the Cross both humbles us, because it was our sin that put him there, and extends grace to us, to lift our eyes to Heaven.

COMMUNITY: Nebuchadnezzar didn't have people around him to check his pride, so God had to intervene in radical ways. One of the safeguards to prideful insanity is meaningful relationships with others.

MISSION: Pride kills mission, because it warps our perceptions of God, others, and ourselves. We won't see correctly. We won't serve God, only ourselves. Humility is necessary for true mission.

Text

Part One: Nebuchadnezzar's Dream (v. 1-18)

v.1-3

Q: Who's the author of the chapter, and what does that tell us?

Neb is the author of this chapter. He seems to have changed his tune: He's wishing people well, and he's praising God more fully than the previous chapters.

v.4-8

Q: Any of this sound familiar?

A familiar setup: Neb has a bad dream, and is afraid. He wants an interpretation, but the Magicians, Enchanters, Astrologers, and Diviners (MEAD) can't deliver--again! Daniel needs to be brought in.

Neb still hasn't realized who Daniel's God really is, because he says that the "spirit of the holy gods" is in him. Neb is still a polytheist, merely incorporating YHWH into his pluralistic, eclectic religious system.

v.9-12

This time Neb. tells Daniel what the dream was. It's a metaphor for the grandeur of Neb's empire. Compare v. 12 with 2:37-38. Longman tells us "The tree is the cosmic tree. It is planted in the 'middle of the land,' thus a kind of axis mundi. It is a symbol of fertility, growth, and prosperity. It is not only a symbol of life, but also a life-giver, providing sustenance and protection to the animals...the Tree represents the divine world order maintained by the king as the representative of the god Assur...Nebuchadnezzar's dream shows that he identifies himself with the cosmic tree; he is the keeper of the cosmos, the true image of God, the Perfect Man" (119).

Neb's dream of himself as the Tree of Life is part of the problem! He sees himself as literally at the center of the world. Ted Turner, once said “I’d be perfect except for my pride.” Benjamin Franklin said that even if he could completely overcome his pride, he would probably be proud of his humility.

Whether intentional or not, the great, cosmic tree as "axis mundi" is reminiscent of the tree of Eywa in Avatar.

v.13-16

Q: What do you think this dream is about?

God is sovereign over even (especially) the greatest people and things that humanity has to offer. Everything under the sun is subject to God's rule, even Nebuchadnezzar. "Seven times" most likely refers to seven years.

v.17-18 Q: What's the reason given for this judgment?

The messengers make clear what their purpose is for the judgment depicted in Neb's dream. This dream isn't so mysterious after all.

Part Two: Daniel Interprets the Dream (v.19-27)

v.19

Q: Why do think Daniel is perplexed and terrified?

Not because he doesn't know the meaning of the dream, but because he does. Daniel takes no delight in delivering this message to the King who destroyed Jerusalem--rather, he shows concern.

v.20-22

The meaning is clear, and troubling: "You, O King, are that tree!" Judgment is coming on Nebuchadnezzar.

v.23, 26

Q: What's the significance of leaving the stump?

Mercy. The tree will be cut down, but the stump won't be uprooted. In other words, not totally killed. There's still hope. He'll be stripped of every impressive thing, but not killed.

v.25

"Seven times will pass until you acknowledge that the Most High is Sovereign, that he gives Kingdoms to whomever he pleases." Neb's issues are clear: he hasn't been acknowledging God all along. That's how his prideful insanity manifests itself: he takes credit for stuff he didn't do.

v.27

Daniel shows some real courage, and calls Neb to genuine repentance. He makes it clear that this fate is not set in stone, and that Nebuchadnezzar has a choice. He can stop thinking of himself as a god, and begin acting with kindness and humility.

Part Three: The Dream is Fulfilled (v.28-37)

v.28-29

Q: What's the significance of "12 months later"?

The judgment wasn't instant in coming. In other words, the dream/interpretation were a warning! God was gracious and gave Neb an entire year to change his ways. Maybe he did change for a time, but it didn't last. Maybe after time elapsed, he thought he was safe and could go on living in his old ways. Regardless, he forgot, as he often does, due to amnesia/insanity/power-drunk. "Pride goes before the fall." (See Proverbs 16:18).

v.30

His moment of arrogant insanity and hubris (fatal pride). He boasts about his empire, which was glorious, including two of the seven wonders of the ancient world. He takes credit for things God allowed him to have. He states that it was for "his majesty," and does not give credit to God.

Q: Neb had a great deal to boast in. There wasn’t anyone alive greater than he was! We don’t have anyone as powerful in our world as he was in his. What accomplishments, abilities, or possessions are you tempted to boast in? How do you compare yourself to others?

Before we get...prideful about not being as arrogant as Nebuchadnezzar, consider that we’re more insane, because even though we have so little to boast in compared to him, we still compare ourselves to other people and get prideful all the time! The only difference is that we’re so common and weak that we have to be pretty selective. It takes us a few people before we find someone we think we’re superior to. But we do that all the time. We find ridiculous things to boast in: “I’m smarter. I’m prettier. I’m richer. I’m better-spoken. I’m wittier. I’m a better dresser. I’m more godly. I’m a better pray-er.”

"When we stand in front of God, our problem is not just our weaknesses and failures, it is our successes and our strengths, insofar as these lead us to take pride in ourselves. Our goodness itself can be an obstacle to receiving the message of the gospel, because in our pride we don't see our need for God. To cure us of our deadly pride, God may graciously bring us down to disaster" (Duguid, 73).

What is pride? C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, surveys Christian teaching and says that pride is "The Great Sin," the essential vice, the utmost evil. "Unchastity, 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" (121-122).

v.31-32

God strikes him down, in an utterly just judgment.

v.33

Everything he dreamed comes true. Arrogance IS insanity. To be human is to acknowledge and worship God; to be an animal is to follow only basic instincts. Neb loses power, prestige, comfort--and his mind. As one commentator (Fewell), states, "A man who thinks he is a god must become a beast to learn that he is only a human being." (Fewell, Circle of Sovereignty, 101; via Longman, 122)

Neb lived as an animal for seven years, and God can use the splendor, vastness, and even brutality of his natural creation to humble us. We don’t go to Niagara Falls or the Grand Canyon to feel big, do we? For one thing, the creation gives us pictures of what we are, in the grand scheme of things. Scripture calls us “vapors,” “grass,” “a mere handbreadth,” “dust.” It puts things in perspective for us. We need that.

Teddy Roosevelt was a great nature lover, and after an evening of conversation with friends—probably solving the world’s problems—he would take them out on the lawn and search the skies for a certain spot of star-like light near the lower left-hand corner of the Great Square of Pegasus. Then Roosevelt would recite: "That is the Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda. It is as large as our Milky Way. It is one of a hundred million galaxies. It consists of one hundred billion suns, each larger than our sun."  Then Roosevelt would grin and say, "Now I think we are small enough! Let's go to bed." Certainly the world & the universe around us should humble our puny selves. Nature tells us where we stand before God.

Neb does not rule his Kingdom for seven years. Fortunately, Nebuchadnezzar has positioned Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to administrate things in his absence (more of God's providence at work).

v.34

"I raised my eyes towards Heaven and my sanity was restored."

Q: How does this help us define what "sanity" is, according to God?

To get our eyes off of ourselves, to acknowledge God's power and our sin and weakness, and to cry out to him for help, is the definition of sanity. "In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that--and, therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison--you do not know God at all. As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you...The real test of being in the presence of God is, that you either forget about yourself altogether or see yourself as a small, dirty object. It is better to forget about yourself altogether" (Mere Christianity, 124-125).

The Gospel is a radically humbling message. "The only way for us to enter God's Kingdom is with empty hands, lifting our eyes to heaven and confessing our desperate need of a savior. By nature, that is hard for all of us." (Duguid, 72).

Neb looked to heaven. Now, when we look to heaven, we see the resurrected Christ, seated at the right hand of the Most High. His humiliation on our behalf should humble us.

God tells us directly where we stand with him through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the ultimate Reality Check. You thought Neb’s stint as an animal was sobering, take a good look at the cross, and see what it says about you. Jesus was no superficial gift—God gave his only, perfect, glorious Son, and he needed to die on our behalf, on the cross. Sending the perfect Son of God emphasizes our sinful state before God. There was no other way—the Son of God has to leave all his glory in heaven. Yes, it is good news. It is good news for poor, desperate, lost people. Humble people. Sober people. This is why it says “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” This is why Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” It’s the sick who KNOW they need a doctor. The cross humbles us by telling us our true situation, before saving us. This should be all the humility we ever need. If we’re not humbled by the Cross of Christ, then we haven’t understood the gospel. And we’re setting ourselves up for a great fall.

v.34-35, 37

Q: Is his praise in these verses different at all from previous prayers like this in Daniel 2:46-47 and Daniel 3:28-29?

Maybe, maybe not. There seems to be more here; on the other hand, maybe he actually believes it now, after 7 years of insanity of living as an animal. Verse 37 seems to express genuine repentance. He's been humbled!

Further Questions:

Q: Compare Neb's experience with James 4:4-10 (esp. v.6) and 1 Peter 5:5-8. How similar/different message?

Q: Why is pride equated with insanity? What's so insane about pride?

Q: Where have you seen pride lead to foolish thinking in your life?

Q: Where do you need to repent of pride or arrogance?

Q: We shouldn't miss the fact that it was Nebuchadnezzar, the King of the known world, who was humbled. How might this story encourage people who are subject to unjust rulers, authorities, and leaders?

Q: How did Jesus exemplify the humility we should have, even though  he is God?" See Philippians 2:5-11.

As long as we’re looking at Christ, is there any reason to boast? Spurgeon said "Be not proud of race, face, place, or grace." Paul said, "May I never boast, except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" Galatians 6:14.