Welcome back to our summer Bible study on The Book of Daniel, called Thrive. In this study, we are learning that regardless of what life throws at us and how difficult our circumstances may be, we can thrive, not just survive, in this challenging world.  Today will be a lot of fun because after four weeks working our way through Chapter 3 and the epic tale of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and the fiery furnace, we move into Daniel 4.  While this particular story isn’t told or remembered the way The Fiery Furnace or the Lion’s Den is remembered and talked about, it may be the most important and relevant teaching in the book, because it is a lesson, a warning really on the dangers of pride in our lives, showing us what can happen when we are tested with success, comfort, and prosperity.  Now, you may be thinking, did he say, 'tested with success'? Success is something I want; it’s the goal.  I mean, no one is trying to fail, so I wouldn’t call it a test.  Well, we all want success (how we define success is important and another talk for another day). Still, we must understand that it is a test that some pass and can handle, while others fail and struggle because it goes to their head, and they become prideful. We will dive into what a massive issue this can be in our lives.  Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, tells us that this test can be just as, if not more, dangerous than the fires we talked of over the last four weeks in Chapter 3.  Check this out…

Proverbs 27:21 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised. NLT

We must understand that while there is nothing wrong with being successful and being built up, what often happens when we experience these things doesn’t just build us up, but also builds up our ego, and we become prideful.  Pride is so deceptive; it stays hidden in our lives and disguises itself as good stuff in our lives, which makes it so dangerous because we can’t see it, we don’t detect it as it fractures our relationship with God and destroys our lives.  On top of that, it’s really hard to speak on because if you are filled with pride, you either won’t listen, or you may hear it just not care to apply it, or you will only hear this talk with one thought in your mind, I hope this person or that person is paying attention because it’s custom built for them!  When I think about how sneaky pride is, I often think of Jesus talking of planks and specks.

Matthew 7:3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? NIV

So today, we jump into Daniel 4, which is interesting for a couple of reasons.  First, it’s an incredibly important lesson on pride.  Second, the person who has been the villain of our story to date, King Nebuchadnezzar, is not just someone we are learning from; this Chapter is his testimony.  Daniel 4 is a letter written by the King to share his story and his faith in God with the world.  The most remarkable thing about this story that he wants to share is that it’s a story about him losing everything in his life due to pride, his mind, his kingdom, his power, his home, and everything that comes with it, and how God restores him.  This is the story of how God humbled Him and helped him understand a truth we must all learn: we need God, it’s all God’s, and God is the one worthy of our praise and gratitude.  It’s all His.

So, to give you some background on the chapter, we have another time jump in our story from Daniel 3 to Daniel 4.  The story of the Fiery Furnace occurred around 18 years into our story, and now we move forward a bit again. We find King Nebuchadnezzar now in his 50s, and it has been around 32 years since Daniel interpreted the first dream back in Daniel Chapter 2.  So, it’s been around a decade since the fiery furnace.  And a couple of things to keep in mind.  Nebuchadnezzar is the most successful person alive.  He is the most powerful person in the world.  He is responsible for building Babylon, which had incredible architecture, including one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.  But the King has a real issue with pride, and Scripture tells us that God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.  And we are about to see that God will help him through that. I will say, God isn’t all that gentle with him, and breaks him down to a place where He can humble himself enough to see God, appreciate all He has been given, and serve God.  So, let’s get into this today, and look at how this chapter starts, with a greeting from the King. 

Daniel 4:1 King Nebuchadnezzar sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world: "Peace and prosperity to you! 2 "I want you all to know about the miraculous signs and wonders the Most High God has performed for me. 3 How great are his signs, how powerful his wonders!  His kingdom will last forever, his rule through all generations. 4 "I, Nebuchadnezzar, was living in my palace in comfort and prosperity. NLT

This is the King sharing his story with the world, and it’s not a very different Nebuchadnezzar, even greeting you with peace and prosperity!  Something has changed in this violent, angry man!  Remember when he was impressed by God in the fiery furnace, he told everyone to respect God, or he would tear them limb from limb and turn their houses into rubble?  Something has changed here.  He is telling us about how great and powerful God is!  This guy has gone from idol worship and wanting to be God himself to embracing the truth that God is in control and great, understanding that everything belongs to God, not him, and he wants the entire world to know this.  We also see in verse four that things are going really well for him.  He was living in comfort and prosperity.

Daniel 4:5 But one night I had a dream that frightened me; I saw visions that terrified me as I lay in my bed. 6 So I issued an order calling in all the wise men of Babylon, so they could tell me what my dream meant. 7 When all the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers came in, I told them the dream, but they could not tell me what it meant. 8 At last Daniel came in before me, and I told him the dream. (He was named Belteshazzar after my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him. 9 "I said to him, 'Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too great for you to solve. Now tell me what my dream means. NLT

So, around 32 years after he had a nightmare in Chapter 2, while enjoying massive success, comfort, and prosperity, he has another dream that is troubling him.  And just as before, no one could tell him what it meant, so he called in Daniel. Now, we do not have time to go line by line through this Chapter today, so I encourage you to take the time to read through it in detail.  So, the King explains the dream to Daniel, and as Daniel listens, God is revealing the meaning to him because he is afraid to tell the King what it means.  I can just picture Daniel sitting there like, “God, are you serious, you are going to make me give this prideful, rage-filled King bad news here.” Check this out…

Daniel 4:19 Then Daniel, who was called Belteshazzar, was very quiet for a while, because his understanding of the dream frightened him. So the king said, "Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning make you afraid." Then Belteshazzar answered, "My master, I wish the dream were about your enemies, and I wish its meaning were for those who are against you! NCV

And after Nebuchadnezzar encourages him not to hold back, and tells him the dream’s meaning, Daniel doesn’t hold back and explains it to him, and it isn’t good news.  Daniel tells him that God is speaking to him here and is fed up with the King's arrogance and pride. God is saying, Do you really think you did all this?  You think it’s all your doing?  Everything you have is from God!  I mean, think back to the verse we focused on at the beginning of our study of the book of Daniel.  Who gave the King the victory?

Daniel 1:1 …King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 The Lord gave him victory over King Jehoiakim of Judah and permitted him to take some of the sacred objects from the Temple of God.  NLT

We see just two verses into Daniel, something the King can’t seem to see or accept.  God gave him the victory and allowed Him to take the sacred objects from the Temple.  Yet, as he sits in comfort and prosperity looking out over his Kingdom, he loses sight of that and sees all that he has done and accomplished, which is something we do to this day!  And if you think about it, at this point, the King should know better!  He has already seen God move through Daniel to interpret dreams no one else could, he has seen God save Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace, and to add to it in those moments He has told everyone God is the real God…but while he says it, and tells others of how great God is, he still lives for himself, and stays focused on his own greatness!  Remember, I told you that pride is sneaky; it disguises itself as good in our lives. Many people live like King Nebuchadnezzar here, acknowledging God, believing in Him, and telling others how much they need God, but it’s for everyone else, not for themselves. At the same time, I sit here and look at all I’m doing and accomplishing and don’t see my own need for Him, or the fact that all I have in life is given to me by God.  So, Daniel explains the dream and tells the King this is a warning.  If things don’t change, God will take it all from you.  Taking your sanity from you and taking everything away from you in a very painful and public way, this won’t be pretty. 

Daniel 4:24 This, O king, also refers to you. It means that the High God has sentenced my master the king: 25 You will be driven away from human company and live with the wild animals. You will graze on grass like an ox. You will be soaked in heaven's dew. This will go on for seven seasons, and you will learn that the High God rules over human kingdoms and that he arranges all kingdom affairs. 26 "The part about the tree stump and roots being left means that your kingdom will still be there for you after you learn that it is heaven that runs things. MSG

But, and it’s a big but here, Daniel also explains, you can avoid this if you humble yourself and honor God with your success, if you make some changes in your life... 

Daniel 4:27 "So, king, take my advice: Make a clean break with your sins and start living for others. Quit your wicked life and look after the needs of the down-and-out. Then you will continue to have a good life." MSG

So, Daniel explains that this doesn’t have to happen, but it will if you don’t change!  Unfortunately, the King ignores this warning, and everything that Daniel tells him will happen does indeed come to pass. The King falls hard in a very public and humiliating way, losing his mind, his home, his Kingdom, and power for a period of seven seasons, living like an animal for a while.  As Scripture often tells us, pride comes before the fall, and the King falls hard here. 

So, let’s talk, because we began this discussion by considering the idea that success and comfort can be as dangerous, even more dangerous than the fires and challenges we face in our lives. I think it’s important to discuss that further, especially in the world you and I live in today, which has a lot more comfort and wealth than ever before.  As we read this chapter, a couple of things stand out to me. I think it’s awesome that we can learn from King Nebuchadnezzar’s painful lesson here, hopefully avoiding it in our own lives. The first thing we need to look at is how comfort and success can get us in trouble.  I will start here.

Success and comfort can lull us to sleep, as we get comfortable, we can get complacent.   This is where we find Nebuchadnezzar in our story, enjoying a life of comfort and prosperity in the palace overlooking the most spectacular city in the world.  Can I ask you something?  When do you pray the most?  When do you see how much you need God in your life?  When are you the most focused on God?  When life is going well, or when you're hurting and struggling?  I wish we could say that we are as passionate about God in the good and comfortable times, but we just aren’t, are we?  This is the spot we find the King in, and it allows pride to consume him, I mean just listen to how he talks about himself here.

Daniel 4:30  "I have built this great Babylon as my royal home. I built it by my power to show my glory and my majesty." NCV

It’s amazing what success and comfort can do and how easily we can walk through life as the King is here, look at what I have done.  It’s so easy to lose track of God when things are going well.  That is when pride can really sneak into our hearts and minds, and Scripture is constantly warning against it.  Pride is literally the root of all sin, and it’s something we must do our best to see and rid our lives of because it is the very thing that keeps us from walking closely with God, and it comes at us in so many different ways.  But at its core, it’s this.  I know what God says, wants, or desires for me, even commands of me, but I know better.  Now I would never say that I know better than God, but I’m going to live how I want, do what I want, and control my life rather than giving it over to God.  I know I’m supposed to forgive others, but they haven’t earned it.  I know I’m not to judge, but did you see what they did?  I know I’m not supposed to compare and compete, but I will do whatever I can to get ahead of them.  I know I’m not supposed to gossip, but did you see what she posted or what he did the other day?  I know God is in control, but boy oh boy, do I try to stay in control. I know what God says about money, sex, and life, but I’m doing life my way, and it’s going fine!  So, we can’t say it out loud, but we go to church on Sundays and our Pastors get excited talking about how desperately we need God and the urgency we should have to surrender our lives to Him, but what do we really need God for?  Life is fine!  Do you see it?  Pride is sneaky and dangerous, and we can become complacent, losing any sense of urgency for God in the comfort and success we experience in life.  This is why Solomon told us what the big test of life is for us, remember that?

Proverbs 27:21 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised. NLT

Pride says, 'I don’t need God; I’m good.'  In our comfort and prosperity, we can be lulled to sleep, not understanding how much we need God in our lives, just like King Nebuchadnezzar.

The second thing that happens when we are successful and comfortable is that we don’t pay attention to the warning signs in our lives.  We don’t see any need to change!  I told you that pride is blinding; we just don’t see it — it’s that whole plank and speck thing.  Remember, Daniel clearly explains to him that this is a warning from God, and tells him that it doesn’t have to happen! 

Daniel 4:24 "This is the meaning of the dream, O king. The Most High God has commanded these things to happen to my master the king: 25 You will be forced away from people to live among the wild animals. People will feed you grass like an ox, and dew from the sky will make you wet. Seven years will pass, and then you will learn this lesson: The Most High God is ruler over every kingdom on earth, and he gives those kingdoms to anyone he chooses.  NCV

So, this should send off alarm bells to the King.  The dream was scary, and its meaning is devastating. But it just seems to be something he hears, and nothing changes.  I mean, Daniel begs him to change, to live differently, to avoid this, but pride blinds us from the warning signs of life, and we see no need to change.  We need to consider this: what are the warning signs in our lives, and when do we take notice of them?  It’s amazing how often we see horrific things happen to a person, or a marriage or we see a family that just falls apart and from the outside looking in, it feels like it all happened that day, but 99 times out of a 100 it didn’t happen in a single moment, and the warning signs have been there, it’s just whether we see them and are open to doing anything about them, pride blinds us to them.  There are many warning signs in your life that you may be struggling with pride and pulling away from God, yet we struggle to see or acknowledge them.  I will give you a few examples: stress, fear, anger, control, depression, overwhelmed by life, no ability to listen, easily offended, conflict everywhere you go, people pleasing, judging and criticizing others, inability to learn, inability to pray, inability to rest, inability be transparent, confusion, materialism, secret sins and addictions we hide from others, do you want me to keep going?  It’s amazing how often the warning signs are there, but with comfort and success and life going well, we tend to ignore this stuff, just like Nebuchadnezzar ignores this clear warning from God.  So, before we move on, let’s take a look at what Daniel told him to do one more time.

Daniel 4:27 "So, king, take my advice: Make a clean break with your sins and start living for others. Quit your wicked life and look after the needs of the down-and-out. Then you will continue to have a good life." MSG

What is happening here?  Daniel is begging the King to change, to humble himself and change his ways.  And he tells him to do two things.  First, he speaks of repentance.  Repentance is essential; it means turning away from the way we were living and living for God now.  Pride says I don’t have to change.  Why would I change?  Comfort and success do this, and we see it all the time.  Many people love the concept of Faith and want the benefits of God in their lives, but struggle with the idea that living for God means choosing to stop living for themselves and live for Him.  That is the tension point in our lives, and why so many struggle to experience everything they want from their faith.  We are just like Nebuchadnezzar; he believed in God and saw God do great things, but he didn’t repent.  He is not open to turning from his way of living and surrendering his life to God.  I mean, why would he need to do that?  He is crushing it in life.  There is a second thing that Daniel slips in there, to our King, did you see it?  He told him to live for and serve others.  It’s funny, for almost 25 years, we have been encouraging people to embrace the concept of living for and serving others, and it’s been wild to see how people respond to that or interpret that, but it’s so important because this life just isn’t about you.  As we serve those in need, it doesn’t just keep us grounded, but allows the most important thing to happen if we are to overcome pride in our lives.  It allows the focus to shift off us, and that is massive if we want to experience our best lives possible.  But Nebuchadnezzar is just like us; he ignores the warning signs and isn’t willing to change or serve others. Why would he? Life is good, and when life is good and we are comfortable and successful, we get lulled to sleep, we ignore the warning signs, and one more thing that stands out to me that gets us into trouble when life is good and we are successful is this…

When life is good and we are successful, we put off doing what is needed or what is right.  There is no urgency to change, and we just keep living our lives.  I told you a couple of weeks ago that there are certain descriptive terms where Scripture seems to go out of its way to ensure we see them; those always interest me, and we get another one of them here…

Daniel 4:28 "But all these things did happen to King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 Twelve months later he was taking a walk on the flat roof of the royal palace in Babylon. 30 As he looked out across the city, he said, 'Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.' NLT

He has a terrible dream and is given a clear warning of what will happen, and did you see it?  One year goes by, and he hasn’t changed a thing!  Really?  But you know, we do this too.  Yeah, I know I should invest in my relationship with God, but another 12 months go by.  Yeah, the doctor said I should eat better, and then another 12 months go by.  Yeah, I know I should be better with my spending and finances, and another 12 months go by.  Pride says nothing needs to change, and maybe someday I will, but for now I’m going to keep doing my thing…why wouldn’t I, life is good!  So let’s see what happens, because everything does happen just as God said it would. 

31 "While these words were still in his mouth, a voice called down from heaven, 'O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom. 32 You will be driven from human society. You will live in the fields with the wild animals, and you will eat grass like a cow. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses.' 33 "That same hour the judgment was fulfilled, and Nebuchadnezzar was driven from human society...NLT

King Nebuchadnezzar fell from the highest place possible; he lost everything from his power to his home to his sanity, and all of this happened in a very public and painful way.  So, we don’t know exactly how long seven periods are, some think seven years, some say seven seasons, but let’s just say this was a long and painful stretch for him, living as an animal, alone in the wilderness, let’s look at the way he was living for this time.

Daniel 4:33 "That same hour the judgment was fulfilled, and Nebuchadnezzar was driven from human society. He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven. He lived this way until his hair was as long as eagles' feathers and his nails were like birds' claws. NLT

But this leads us to one of my favorite scriptures in the entire book of Daniel, it’s one of those scriptures that has always touched my heart, and it shows us how he was able to recover from this horrific time.  It wasn’t a massive and complicated system of things to do; it’s very simple, clear, and is the very thing we must do to experience God.  He looked up.

Daniel 4:34 "After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. NLT

If there was one thing we must see from this story, this is it.  If you want to destroy pride in your lives, find healing, and live your best life, this is it.  LOOK UP!  This is something Pride tries to keep you from doing.  Pride wants you to look down on people, to look around and compare, compete, and judge everything and everyone around you. Humility allows you to look up, praise, and worship God.  For some of us, we are a lot like King Nebuchadnezzar, and it takes a lot to get us to stop looking in the mirror, or to stop looking down on people, or looking around at others, but after the pride is beaten out of him, he finally does what we all must do and LOOKS UP! 

So, I want you to think about this today.  For so many of us, it’s time to stop looking down on others.  For some of us it is time to stop looking around us to see what everyone else is up too.  For some of us, it may just be time to stop looking at our phones and finally look up.  When we look up, a few things will happen.  As we look up, we replace pride with praise and worship for God.  As we look up, we finally wake up just as he did to the truth, that everything is God’s, that He is the Most High and lives forever.  Praising and worshiping God changes things for us and destroys pride in our lives. Chapter 4 ends with Nebuchadnezzar wanting us all to see and understand what he now fully understands. Let’s move through this slowly and allow this scripture to hit our hearts today. 

Daniel 4:34 "After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal. 35 All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him, 'What do you mean by doing these things?' 36 "When my sanity returned to me, so did my honor and glory and kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored as head of my kingdom, with even greater honor than before. 37 "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud." NLT

Can I ask you something?  Do you see your desperate need for God?  What has changed in your life because you have God in it?  Do you see things that need to change in your life and just ignore them or push them off for another day?  Do you look at all you have and see what God has given you or what you have built?  When was the last time you looked up and just recognized that God is God?  When was the last time you looked up and thanked Him for all He is, all He does, and all He provides in your life?  When was the last time you truly worshiped and thanked Him?  You live in a world that wants you to look down, and look around, while everything you want and need comes together when you look up and recognize that it’s not about you, it’s all about Him.  You want to thrive, not just survive this difficult world?  Get your eyes off yourself, off other people, off your circumstances, off your phones and your stuff, stop looking down, stop looking around, and do this one simple thing the world just doesn’t want you to do.  LOOK UP!