7 Year Anniversary
SERIES: Living As Exiles: Daniel
TEXT: Daniel 4:1-27
MESSAGE: “Why the Mighty Fall”
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Proverbs 18:12 says, “Before his downfall a person’s heart is proud…”
What is pride?
“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.” — CS Lewis
“It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.” – Augustine
TEXT: Daniel 4:1-27
What was it that caused the downfall of Nebuchadnezzar?
It happened in three phases: (1. A startling revelation 2) An unavoidable truth 3. An inevitable reality)
- A startling revelation (v. 4-5)
“I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. 5 I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me.” v. 4-5
“Adversity hath slain her thousand, but prosperity her ten thousand.” — Thomas Brooks
- An unavoidable truth (v. 6-9)
“So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its interpretation. 8 At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods—and I told him the dream, saying, 9 “O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too difficult for you, tell me the visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation.”
“Why did he not call Daniel or the three witnesses first? Perhaps the answer lies in his sense of guilt. Satan has an uncanny ability to blackmail us on account of our sin…So it was with Nebuchadnezzar. He knew he had abandoned the conscience that on several occasions had been sensitized to God by these men…(and) despite all that God had done, Nebuchadnezzar persisted in interpreting the events of his life in human terms. (Later) He petitioned Daniel, but he had not yet learned to petition God.” — Sinclair Ferguson
“If (we) would take the time to excavate our sin, beneath it all (we) would discover the rotting bones of pride and arrogance.” — Sam Storms
- An inevitable reality (v. 24-27)
“…this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 25 that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. 26 And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”
“He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.”
— Luke 1:51-52
TAKEAWAYS:
- Ask God to examine your heart
“O Lord, You have searched me and known me.” — Psalm 139:1
- Seek the common good of others
“Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies!” — Daniel 4:19
“We are to desire the prosperity of those under whose authority God’s providence has placed us (Je 29:7). The wish here is not so much against others, as for the king: a common formula (2 Sa 18:32). It is not the language of uncharitable hatred.” — Jamieson R. Fausset
- Learn to humbly follow God’s way
“Pride is taking credit for what God has done. To know that all we have is a gift, that all we experience and enjoy is an expression of God’s goodness and not ours, to know that everything in our possession—especially our salvation—comes from the hand of God is to take the first step in defeating and dethroning pride from our hearts.” — Sam Storms
“For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” — Isaiah 53:2-3