In Daniel chapter 4, God humbled King Nebuchadnezzar and taught him that he rules over all kings and kingdoms.
Wes
Welcome to the Two Journeys Bible Study podcast. This podcast is just one of the many resources available to you for free from Two Journeys Ministry. If you’re interested in learning more, just head over to TwoJourneys.org. Now on to today’s episode. This is part two of episode five in our Daniel Bible Study podcast. This episode is entitled, God Humbles Nebuchadnezzar and Us, where we’ll discuss Daniel 4. I’m Wes Treadway, and I’m here with Pastor Andy Davis. Andy, what are we going to see in these verses that we’re looking at today?
Andy
Well, Wes, I’m so excited to go through Daniel 4. It’s one of the most impactful chapters there’s ever been in the Bible. And it’s really remarkable how its scope addresses both individual sinners like you and me, individual Christians who are listening to this podcast, and then the rise and fall of mighty nations and God’s sovereignty over the ebbs and flows of human history, including potentates, emperors, tyrants, kings- God is sovereign over all things.
But the fundamental lesson here is, at the very end, the final statement that Nebuchadnezzar makes, “Those who walk in pride, God is able to humble.” And so, for me, to understand the seriousness of that statement and the weight of it, and as I’m going to say when the time comes, to share how for me, there was a movement of understanding that verse from a threat to a promise. Threat is usually something you don’t want to have happen, and this chapter’s full of things you don’t want to have happen to you as Nebuchadnezzar is struck with insanity for seven years, and he loses everything, and that’s a terror and we could be afraid of that. God can lay you low if you walk in pride.
But the converse, then I started to realize, what a significant problem pride is for me personally and for all of us, indeed. It seems to be the core sin. And it wasn’t like, “If you should happen to walk in pride, God will be able to humble you.” It’s like, should happen to, I walk in pride every moment of every day. It is the single greatest grief of my life, the cause of most of my problems, whether my marriage, my parenting, my pastoring, my evangelism, my preaching, everything is hindered by my pride, and I do walk in pride, and I actually want to be humbled. I want to be as humble as I possibly can on earth, and I know I’ll be perfectly humble in heaven. And so I do walk in pride and oh, I yearn for God to humble me. I want to be much more humble when I die than I am now. So, it became a promise, not a threat, and so it’s both. So, I’m excited to walk through this chapter.
Wes
Well, let me go ahead and read Daniel 4 as we begin:
King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations and languages that dwell in all the earth: peace be multiplied to you! It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.
How great are his signs, how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion endures from generation to generation.
I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me. 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. 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.
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, “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 interpretations. The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.
“I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. He proclaimed aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him. The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’ This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar saw. And you, O Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”
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! The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived- it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth. And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,’ this is the interpretation, O king:
“It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 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. 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. 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.”
All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of 12 months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 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?” 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, 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.” 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.
At the end of 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; 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?”
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. 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.
What do verses 28-29 teach us about God’s patience and Nebuchadnezzar’s stubbornness?
Andy
Well, people frequently don’t heed warnings. We get lots of warnings. You get medical warnings, you get a shot across the bow medically, you get some chest pains or get something going on. Maybe somebody’s a smoker and they’re developing a cough or something. We get these warnings, but we don’t take them.
And I think worldwide, how many Christians are out there with non-Christian loved ones, family members, they evangelize them, they warn them, they don’t want them to die and go to hell. They give them these warnings, some things happen, and God is so patient, and he gives people warnings and like it says in the book of Revelation, “I’ve given her time to repent, but she was not willing.” That’s a very scary statement when you think about that, talking about metaphorically Jezebel there, “I’ve given her time to repent but she wasn’t willing.” So, there’s a clock ticking. Similar to what God said to Abram and in Genesis 15, “The sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” They’re on the clock, and so God’s watching to see if people repent. Or again he says, concerning Israel, “All day long I’ve held up my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
And so, for a year God waits. It shows incredible patience. It also reminds me of Romans 9 where it says, “What if God choosing to show his wrath and make his power known bore with great patience the objects of wrath prepared for destruction.” Now, I don’t think Nebuchadnezzar is an object of wrath, but I think God was very, very patient with him.
Wes
What does verse 30 teach us about human pride and God’s hatred of it?
Andy
Yikes, what a terrifying moment. He’s walking out there on the flat rooftop of his sumptuous palace surrounded by prosperity, surrounded by opulence, probably with his belly full of a great meal. He’s looking out over the capital city of Babylon, which was impressive, if you think about the hanging gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, think about the massive walls, he felt completely secure, and nobody could come in and trouble him. And he’s just filled with pride. He’s overwhelmed with pride. He walks in pride. And he looks out over it, and he says, “Is this not the great Babylon I have built as a display of my royal majesty and for the display of my glory?” Now that’s a direct challenge to God, especially the word glory. This puts my glory on display.
And it’s like, you don’t understand. You don’t understand who I am. You don’t understand my glory. And so, you think about Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We come short of really understanding how glorious God is. And so, this is an arrogant statement, and it’s the end. It’s like… Let me say this one thing, I know somebody, sometime ago, I won’t say who, but somebody that I was familiar with, who died of alcoholism, and he destroyed his liver by drinking. And I always wondered if there was just that one time it was one drink too many and there was no coming back, because by the time the doctors got to him, there was nothing they could do. And so, the liver has amazing, recuperative, restorative powers, but this individual just drank so much that it was just to the point of… And I don’t think he knew it; he just followed his habits. And I wonder about that, I wonder if there’s just that time where that’s it. And it’s a terrifying thing, and so he makes this one statement and that was it.
Wes
We’ve talked about repetition already, why does the angel repeat the content of the dream and how long did it take for the dream to take effect?
Andy
Well, the angel’s like, “Hey, remember, I spent a year.” So, he goes back over it and says, “This is what is decreed for you from heaven.” It reminds me again of that rich man that wanted to build the bigger barns, and you remember what happens in the parable, “You fool, this very night your soul will be required of you.” And I think we’ll come back to that same statement in the next chapter, because that’s what happened to Belshazzar, “This very night.” And so, this is what is decreed, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. I mean you think about the powerlessness of this powerful man and when heaven, when God decrees something, that’s it.
And so, he says, “Your royal authority has been taken from you, you are no longer king as of this moment. You will give no more orders for seven years. No one’s going to listen to you. Now, you’re going to be driven away from people. You’re going to live with the wild animals. You’ll eat grass like cattle, and that’s going to go on for seven years. Seven times will pass by over you for you.” And it’s really remarkable. He was struck insane.
And if you think about this, it’s like God has power over the human mind. He can strike it insane, and he can heal it. I actually think all conversions, all genuine conversions of Christ are works of healing by the Holy Spirit where he takes out that heart of stone and gives us the heart of flesh, and we at last think rightly and clearly. But conversely, God can strike you with insanity. It says in Luke 24, “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scripture.” He has the power over our minds. And so, at this point he judges him, but he doesn’t kill him. He makes him think that he’s a cow.
“All genuine conversions of Christ are works of healing by the Holy Spirit where he takes out that heart of stone and gives us the heart of flesh, and we at last think rightly and clearly. But conversely, God can strike you with insanity.”
Now, I’ve often wondered of the first counselor that brought some official document for Nebuchadnezzar to sign, maybe the next morning or maybe that very night, and imagine the man walking away deeply shaken and finding some other counselor, and he’s like, “What’s wrong?” He said, “I just was in to see the king.” “Okay.” “I can’t even describe what happened.” “What happened?” “He thinks he’s a cow. I mean he was mooing at me.” It’s like, whatever. And then little by little by little people started to realize what’s going on. And the angel said, “You’ll be driven away from men.” He was probably behaving like a beast, like a bull in a China shop, maybe literally behaving like that until they realize he needs to get outdoors. We need to get him out where he feels comfortable, which is out in the field. I mean he thought he was an animal. And so, this is what is decreed for you. And so, this happened immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled.
And this is, by the way, a regular pattern in the prophets. God says what he’s going to do first, then he says that he did it and the words line up. So that’s that we, the readers of the Bible, would honor and reverence the word of God. When God says he’s going to do something, he does it. And so fundamentally this is what happened. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven and his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.
Wes
So all of this takes place just as he saw in the vision, as Daniel interpreted and as the angel repeated. In verse 34, Nebuchadnezzar’s sanity is restored. What was the immediate result of Nebuchadnezzar’s sanity being restored, and what specifically does Nebuchadnezzar praise God for?
Andy
Well, let’s be careful here and let’s be meticulous in Verse 34, “At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and then my sanity was restored.” Huh? So, here’s what I believe, his sanity was partially restored and then fully restored. He had enough self-awareness to realize what was going on, but he couldn’t talk. He just rolled his eyes up like an animal, but he looked up to heaven, he looked up to God. And that was a work of humility. So, he still had a freedom of his will to make this choice, to make a right choice about God, and he used it properly, and then everything came back.
And so, God was testing him, but he passed the test. He had learned the lesson. So, it’s really remarkable, the depths and the complexity of the human mind and condition and heart are beyond calculation. And so, he has enough awareness to remember what’s happened for the seven years. “Say, okay, I understand now. Now I remember the dream. I remember what happened. It’s all happened just like God said,” and just boom, his sanity was restored. God instantly healed him. And for me that’s huge because Jesus said, “It’s not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. I’ve not come to call the righteous but sinners.” To what? Repentance. And so, the healthiest thing that we can do as sinners is repent and turn our minds to Christ. And then immediately what happens next? His sanity is restored. And then, what does it say he does?
Wes
It says, “He blessed the Most High, praised and honored him who lives forever.”
Andy
We’d sum that up in one simple word, you know it well, brother, because it’s your calling, he worshiped. He worshiped. When we’re sane, we worship. I would say this is the most significant verse in the Bible for me, directly equating sin with insanity. Sin is insanity. Satan’s sin is insanity. Imagine saying to Almighty God, “I can take you on and beat you.” I mean, what kind of insanity is that? This is the God of the universe who made everything. So, all sin is insanity. We need to be healed. We need Jesus the healer. And so, when the healing comes, what’s the first thing that Nebuchadnezzar does? He worships and glorifies and praises God. So, I tell you what, heaven is the healthiest place there is. All they do up there all the time is worship God and praise him, it’s so awesome. So, there’s that therapeutic work of healing, and he praises, blesses, honors the Most High.
“When we’re sane, we worship. I would say this is the most significant verse in the Bible for me, directly equating sin with insanity. Sin is insanity.”
Wes
What does the rest of verse 34 on into verse 35 teach us about God’s sovereignty over all human nations, no matter how powerful? And what does it mean that no one can hold back his hand, and no one can say to him, “What have you done?”
Andy
Okay, so these are just overpoweringly awesome words. So, worship is, first of all, I believe that glory, the display of God’s glory is the basis of worship. God is glorified, and we worship as a result. So, what is glory but the radiant display, the communication of the attributes or perfections of God. So, God emanates out his nature to us, we receive it, see it, and we are moved by it. And we are in awe over it, and we talk about it, and it moves us, and we worship based on it.
So, look at the attributes that are discussed as he praises. First of all, the Most High. What is that? That’s the absolute supremacy of God. He’s the Most High. I honored and glorified him who lives forever- he’s the eternal God. So, the attributes are just flowing at this point. His dominion is an eternal dominion. He is sovereign, he is a king, and it lasts forever and ever. His kingdom endures from generation to generation. What is a generation? It’s a bunch of mortals whose time has finished and then the next group comes up to take their place. From generation to generation to generation to a thousand generations, he’s still king.
And so, the empires are nothing, they’re nothing. The eternal dominion of God in contrast to our mortality, very much like the feet of clay and that statue. We are mortal, he’s not. He lives forever. Then the sovereignty of God directly over human beings is clearly asserted, “All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing.” Peoples are different groupings or tribes or cultures, nations, all of them. I always picture it like waffles with syrup and there’s all these pockets of places where individuals, tribes and languages and peoples and nations. All of them are like nothing to God.
And it doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about them. God so loved the world that he sent his only-begotten Son. He loves the peoples and the nations and the languages. What does Nebuchadnezzar mean? He says they’re nothing, if you’re asking, “Of all of them who would you say is the biggest threat to your power?” What would God’s answer be? Well, it’s what you just did, Wes, he laughed. You laughed. God laughs. Like none of them, none of them. So, they’re nothing to me in terms of a threat. And also, they’re nothing to me in terms of their opinion. I’m not asking for their input, I’m not asking for them to tell me, “Who has known the mind of the Lord who has been his counselor?” I’m not asking for any of their advice. So, they’re as nothing to me, they’re regarded as nothing.
And then it says, “He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth.” So that the angels, archangels, he does what he wants with them. There’s an infinite gap between God and the highest angel. There’s an infinite gap between God and every human being. He does what he wants with them. He does as he pleases with them. As Psalm 115 says, “Our God is in heaven. He does whatever pleases him.” Whatever it pleases God to do with you and me, Wes, he will do. And he has the right to do it because he made us. So, whatever pleases him, he does what he wants with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth.
And then powerfully, at verse 35, “No one can hold back his hand or stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?” So, Isaiah said this, “His hand is stretched out and who is able to turn it back?” No one. When God moves out his hand, stretches out his hand to strike, there’s no one that can stop it. That’s omnipotence, is what that is. No one is able to resist him. No one can stop him from doing what he wants to do. He has all power.
Furthermore, and this is shattering to our pride, he is not accountable to us. He does not need to give us an explanation. He doesn’t have to explain to Job why he took all 10 of his children in a single day. He never does. He doesn’t say a word to him. They’re not Job’s children, in one sense. They’re God’s, he does what he wants with them because he made them. He owns them. He owns Job. He owns all of Job’s silver and gold. He owns Leviathan and Behemoth, and he owns the powers of the heavens and the stars and the sun and the moon and the ostrich and the wild donkey. He owns it all, and he does what he wants with them and he’s not accountable to us. So, he doesn’t give Job a single explanation for what he’s done, though Job many times demands one. You can’t demand from God, “What have you done?” So, God is not answerable.
Now, we talked about this before the podcast, people do demand of God an explanation, but he’s silent. He didn’t say a thing because he’s not answerable to us and he never will be. And so, the absolute unflinching sovereignty of God, unapologetic, it is how it should be. He’s not shy in terms of his kingly power. He wields it because it’s his, so no one can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”
Wes
You’ve alluded to this before, but how is verse 36 shocking when we consider what usually happens to weak or insane emperors?
Andy
Yeah, this statement that I think is relevant here, its a physics statement, nature abhors a vacuum. So, you think about 14.7 pounds per square inch of atmospheric pressure. What is that? A bunch, millions and millions of air molecules bouncing around like crazy billiard balls, just going crazy. And if there is anywhere a vacuum, they’ll rush in, it’ll rush in. That’s how a vacuum cleaner works, it’s a rushing of air. That’s how airplanes lift up off the ground because air beats on the underside of the wing with greater power than on the top of the wing. And all that’s just nature abhors a vacuum.
All right well let’s just go to political science. When there is a powerful ruler, there’s a bunch of people plotting to topple him. That’s what’s, “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.” It’s, I know people are plotting to kill me. I know it. People would love to kill me. They hate my decrees; they would love my power. And so, they want to take my power over.
And so, the concept here is that for some amazing, some inexplicable reason, no human second in command rushed into basically finish Nebuchadnezzar off. He would’ve been helpless; he thinks he’s an animal. And I think most people would’ve been glad to have it, he was a burden. I think at the human level, Daniel probably kept the throne open, said, “Look, he’s coming back.” And he had that level of influence, ran the kingdom, which he was capable of doing, ran the kingdom in his absence. But the Bible doesn’t say that, that’s just speculating. All I’m saying is God kept his seat open. And he said he would, he said, the statement, the fact of the root system of the tree was all still there means you’re going to get it back. God had made that pledge to him, and God saw it through. So, it’s really quite remarkable.
Wes
How does Nebuchadnezzar conclude the matter and what final thoughts do you have for us on this passage?
Andy
Well, he gets his honor, he gets his glory back. His counselors come, he’s got everything back and he’s ruling. And he looks back over the whole thing and he’s a changed man. I think he’s a saved man. He’s yielding to the… I mean, I really think that’s what conversion is. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you. My yoke is my kingly authority.” Actually, Jeremiah had a yoke that he walked around with that represented the yoke of the king of Babylon, this very man. But the king of Babylon needs to put the yoke of heaven on. He needs to submit to the King of kings. He needs to yield to him. That’s the whole lesson here, verse 17, “That the nations that you, Nebuchadnezzar, may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them whoever he wants and holds him accountable for what they’ve done with them.”
So, the statement is clear. He says at the end, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the king of heaven.” Because, number one, everything he does is right, and all his ways are just. The righteousness and justice of God. What God did to me was right. I deserved it. There’s humility there, isn’t it? Like the thief on the cross, we’re just getting what we deserved. I deserve worse than that. I deserve to die. Everything God does is right, and all his ways are just, that’s something that we need to meditate on. Especially if you’re going through suffering, you’re going through trials. Maybe you have a sick child, maybe you yourself have a serious illness. Maybe you’re tempted like Job to question the justice of God. Don’t do it, God knows what he’s doing. He is just, he is perfect. Everything he does is right. Absolutely, vindicate him.
And Nebuchadnezzar did. And you think about what he’d been through, he was humiliated. He was stripped of his pride, of his honor, of his sanity, of his kingdom, everything. And he said, “I deserved it. Everything God does is just, and all his ways are right.” And then the statement, the lesson, “Those who walk in pride, he is able to humble.”
And I said at the beginning of the podcast, I’ll say it at the end, the big move for me in this one verse, it just shows how the word of God is living and active and also unchanging like a rock. How could it be both? How could it be a rock on which we can build our house, when the rains come down and the streams rise and the winds blow and beat against it? It never changes. It never moves. It never changes. Heaven and earth will pass away and not a single letter will change, it’s immovable and yet living and active.
How is that? Well, this is how it is. The words say the same thing, but we are different. We’re in a different place. We see it differently. We come at it from a different angle. Is this statement, “Those who walk in pride, he is able to humble,” based on the events of Daniel 4, a threat or a warning to arrogant people? Absolutely. How can we say it isn’t? Weren’t they a threat to Nebuchadnezzar? They were a threat. You better repent. You better renounce your wickedness and your injustices and yield to the sovereignty of God. You better, or else. And it is, it’s a threat. But then, “Those who walk in pride he is able to humble,” becomes, for me as a Christian, a sweet promise because I have come to realize that deeper than the roots of Nebuchadnezzar’s sovereign kingly power, deeper than the roots of that mighty tree is my own pride, it’s deep in me. I am fanatically committed to self, less so than I was when I was first converted, thank God, but far more than I will be in heaven.
And so, I want to be humbled. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble, and I want it. I want it in my marriage. I want it in my parenting and my pastoring. I want to be a humble man. I want to be humble, but I am not. I mean, it’s proven. Every time I get on the highway, and somebody does something in driving that I don’t like, I was like, “How dare you do that to me. You know who I am?” It’s like, “No, I don’t care who you are.” We’re all arrogant people. So, the work of salvation is genuinely a work of humbling.
And so therefore, I’ve said for years now, from this one chapter, all sin is insanity. The sanest thing we can do is worship God. And salvation is essentially a humbling process. That eternal predestination before the foundation of the world humbles us. Justification by a working of a Savior, a Mediator, long before we are even born, by his shed blood and by our faith and not works, is humbling. Sanctification by a cooperation between us and the Holy Spirit, day by day, I’m finding to be very humbling. Glorification will be humbling when after that lifetime of sanctification, we are instantly made perfect by the direct activity of God, and we will be humbled forever in heaven. So, “Those who walk in pride, he is able to humble,” oh God, do it. Make me a humble man.
“The sanest thing we can do is worship God. And salvation is essentially a humbling process. That eternal predestination before the foundation of the world humbles us.”
Wes
Now, this has been part two of episode five in our Daniel Bible Study podcast. I want to invite you to join us next time for episode six entitled, The Writing on the Wall, where we’ll discuss Daniel 5:1-31. Thank you for listening to the Two Journeys podcast and may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Wes
Welcome to the Two Journeys Bible Study podcast. This podcast is just one of the many resources available to you for free from Two Journeys Ministry. If you’re interested in learning more, just head over to TwoJourneys.org. Now on to today’s episode. This is part two of episode five in our Daniel Bible Study podcast. This episode is entitled, God Humbles Nebuchadnezzar and Us, where we’ll discuss Daniel 4. I’m Wes Treadway, and I’m here with Pastor Andy Davis. Andy, what are we going to see in these verses that we’re looking at today?
Andy
Well, Wes, I’m so excited to go through Daniel 4. It’s one of the most impactful chapters there’s ever been in the Bible. And it’s really remarkable how its scope addresses both individual sinners like you and me, individual Christians who are listening to this podcast, and then the rise and fall of mighty nations and God’s sovereignty over the ebbs and flows of human history, including potentates, emperors, tyrants, kings- God is sovereign over all things.
But the fundamental lesson here is, at the very end, the final statement that Nebuchadnezzar makes, “Those who walk in pride, God is able to humble.” And so, for me, to understand the seriousness of that statement and the weight of it, and as I’m going to say when the time comes, to share how for me, there was a movement of understanding that verse from a threat to a promise. Threat is usually something you don’t want to have happen, and this chapter’s full of things you don’t want to have happen to you as Nebuchadnezzar is struck with insanity for seven years, and he loses everything, and that’s a terror and we could be afraid of that. God can lay you low if you walk in pride.
But the converse, then I started to realize, what a significant problem pride is for me personally and for all of us, indeed. It seems to be the core sin. And it wasn’t like, “If you should happen to walk in pride, God will be able to humble you.” It’s like, should happen to, I walk in pride every moment of every day. It is the single greatest grief of my life, the cause of most of my problems, whether my marriage, my parenting, my pastoring, my evangelism, my preaching, everything is hindered by my pride, and I do walk in pride, and I actually want to be humbled. I want to be as humble as I possibly can on earth, and I know I’ll be perfectly humble in heaven. And so I do walk in pride and oh, I yearn for God to humble me. I want to be much more humble when I die than I am now. So, it became a promise, not a threat, and so it’s both. So, I’m excited to walk through this chapter.
Wes
Well, let me go ahead and read Daniel 4 as we begin:
King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations and languages that dwell in all the earth: peace be multiplied to you! It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.
How great are his signs, how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion endures from generation to generation.
I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me. 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. 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.
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, “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 interpretations. The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.
“I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. He proclaimed aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him. The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’ This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar saw. And you, O Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”
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! The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived- it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth. And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,’ this is the interpretation, O king:
“It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 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. 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. 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.”
All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of 12 months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 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?” 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, 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.” 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.
At the end of 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; 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?”
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. 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.
What do verses 28-29 teach us about God’s patience and Nebuchadnezzar’s stubbornness?
Andy
Well, people frequently don’t heed warnings. We get lots of warnings. You get medical warnings, you get a shot across the bow medically, you get some chest pains or get something going on. Maybe somebody’s a smoker and they’re developing a cough or something. We get these warnings, but we don’t take them.
And I think worldwide, how many Christians are out there with non-Christian loved ones, family members, they evangelize them, they warn them, they don’t want them to die and go to hell. They give them these warnings, some things happen, and God is so patient, and he gives people warnings and like it says in the book of Revelation, “I’ve given her time to repent, but she was not willing.” That’s a very scary statement when you think about that, talking about metaphorically Jezebel there, “I’ve given her time to repent but she wasn’t willing.” So, there’s a clock ticking. Similar to what God said to Abram and in Genesis 15, “The sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” They’re on the clock, and so God’s watching to see if people repent. Or again he says, concerning Israel, “All day long I’ve held up my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
And so, for a year God waits. It shows incredible patience. It also reminds me of Romans 9 where it says, “What if God choosing to show his wrath and make his power known bore with great patience the objects of wrath prepared for destruction.” Now, I don’t think Nebuchadnezzar is an object of wrath, but I think God was very, very patient with him.
Wes
What does verse 30 teach us about human pride and God’s hatred of it?
Andy
Yikes, what a terrifying moment. He’s walking out there on the flat rooftop of his sumptuous palace surrounded by prosperity, surrounded by opulence, probably with his belly full of a great meal. He’s looking out over the capital city of Babylon, which was impressive, if you think about the hanging gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, think about the massive walls, he felt completely secure, and nobody could come in and trouble him. And he’s just filled with pride. He’s overwhelmed with pride. He walks in pride. And he looks out over it, and he says, “Is this not the great Babylon I have built as a display of my royal majesty and for the display of my glory?” Now that’s a direct challenge to God, especially the word glory. This puts my glory on display.
And it’s like, you don’t understand. You don’t understand who I am. You don’t understand my glory. And so, you think about Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We come short of really understanding how glorious God is. And so, this is an arrogant statement, and it’s the end. It’s like… Let me say this one thing, I know somebody, sometime ago, I won’t say who, but somebody that I was familiar with, who died of alcoholism, and he destroyed his liver by drinking. And I always wondered if there was just that one time it was one drink too many and there was no coming back, because by the time the doctors got to him, there was nothing they could do. And so, the liver has amazing, recuperative, restorative powers, but this individual just drank so much that it was just to the point of… And I don’t think he knew it; he just followed his habits. And I wonder about that, I wonder if there’s just that time where that’s it. And it’s a terrifying thing, and so he makes this one statement and that was it.
Wes
We’ve talked about repetition already, why does the angel repeat the content of the dream and how long did it take for the dream to take effect?
Andy
Well, the angel’s like, “Hey, remember, I spent a year.” So, he goes back over it and says, “This is what is decreed for you from heaven.” It reminds me again of that rich man that wanted to build the bigger barns, and you remember what happens in the parable, “You fool, this very night your soul will be required of you.” And I think we’ll come back to that same statement in the next chapter, because that’s what happened to Belshazzar, “This very night.” And so, this is what is decreed, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. I mean you think about the powerlessness of this powerful man and when heaven, when God decrees something, that’s it.
And so, he says, “Your royal authority has been taken from you, you are no longer king as of this moment. You will give no more orders for seven years. No one’s going to listen to you. Now, you’re going to be driven away from people. You’re going to live with the wild animals. You’ll eat grass like cattle, and that’s going to go on for seven years. Seven times will pass by over you for you.” And it’s really remarkable. He was struck insane.
And if you think about this, it’s like God has power over the human mind. He can strike it insane, and he can heal it. I actually think all conversions, all genuine conversions of Christ are works of healing by the Holy Spirit where he takes out that heart of stone and gives us the heart of flesh, and we at last think rightly and clearly. But conversely, God can strike you with insanity. It says in Luke 24, “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scripture.” He has the power over our minds. And so, at this point he judges him, but he doesn’t kill him. He makes him think that he’s a cow.
“All genuine conversions of Christ are works of healing by the Holy Spirit where he takes out that heart of stone and gives us the heart of flesh, and we at last think rightly and clearly. But conversely, God can strike you with insanity.”
Now, I’ve often wondered of the first counselor that brought some official document for Nebuchadnezzar to sign, maybe the next morning or maybe that very night, and imagine the man walking away deeply shaken and finding some other counselor, and he’s like, “What’s wrong?” He said, “I just was in to see the king.” “Okay.” “I can’t even describe what happened.” “What happened?” “He thinks he’s a cow. I mean he was mooing at me.” It’s like, whatever. And then little by little by little people started to realize what’s going on. And the angel said, “You’ll be driven away from men.” He was probably behaving like a beast, like a bull in a China shop, maybe literally behaving like that until they realize he needs to get outdoors. We need to get him out where he feels comfortable, which is out in the field. I mean he thought he was an animal. And so, this is what is decreed for you. And so, this happened immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled.
And this is, by the way, a regular pattern in the prophets. God says what he’s going to do first, then he says that he did it and the words line up. So that’s that we, the readers of the Bible, would honor and reverence the word of God. When God says he’s going to do something, he does it. And so fundamentally this is what happened. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven and his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.
Wes
So all of this takes place just as he saw in the vision, as Daniel interpreted and as the angel repeated. In verse 34, Nebuchadnezzar’s sanity is restored. What was the immediate result of Nebuchadnezzar’s sanity being restored, and what specifically does Nebuchadnezzar praise God for?
Andy
Well, let’s be careful here and let’s be meticulous in Verse 34, “At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and then my sanity was restored.” Huh? So, here’s what I believe, his sanity was partially restored and then fully restored. He had enough self-awareness to realize what was going on, but he couldn’t talk. He just rolled his eyes up like an animal, but he looked up to heaven, he looked up to God. And that was a work of humility. So, he still had a freedom of his will to make this choice, to make a right choice about God, and he used it properly, and then everything came back.
And so, God was testing him, but he passed the test. He had learned the lesson. So, it’s really remarkable, the depths and the complexity of the human mind and condition and heart are beyond calculation. And so, he has enough awareness to remember what’s happened for the seven years. “Say, okay, I understand now. Now I remember the dream. I remember what happened. It’s all happened just like God said,” and just boom, his sanity was restored. God instantly healed him. And for me that’s huge because Jesus said, “It’s not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. I’ve not come to call the righteous but sinners.” To what? Repentance. And so, the healthiest thing that we can do as sinners is repent and turn our minds to Christ. And then immediately what happens next? His sanity is restored. And then, what does it say he does?
Wes
It says, “He blessed the Most High, praised and honored him who lives forever.”
Andy
We’d sum that up in one simple word, you know it well, brother, because it’s your calling, he worshiped. He worshiped. When we’re sane, we worship. I would say this is the most significant verse in the Bible for me, directly equating sin with insanity. Sin is insanity. Satan’s sin is insanity. Imagine saying to Almighty God, “I can take you on and beat you.” I mean, what kind of insanity is that? This is the God of the universe who made everything. So, all sin is insanity. We need to be healed. We need Jesus the healer. And so, when the healing comes, what’s the first thing that Nebuchadnezzar does? He worships and glorifies and praises God. So, I tell you what, heaven is the healthiest place there is. All they do up there all the time is worship God and praise him, it’s so awesome. So, there’s that therapeutic work of healing, and he praises, blesses, honors the Most High.
“When we’re sane, we worship. I would say this is the most significant verse in the Bible for me, directly equating sin with insanity. Sin is insanity.”
Wes
What does the rest of verse 34 on into verse 35 teach us about God’s sovereignty over all human nations, no matter how powerful? And what does it mean that no one can hold back his hand, and no one can say to him, “What have you done?”
Andy
Okay, so these are just overpoweringly awesome words. So, worship is, first of all, I believe that glory, the display of God’s glory is the basis of worship. God is glorified, and we worship as a result. So, what is glory but the radiant display, the communication of the attributes or perfections of God. So, God emanates out his nature to us, we receive it, see it, and we are moved by it. And we are in awe over it, and we talk about it, and it moves us, and we worship based on it.
So, look at the attributes that are discussed as he praises. First of all, the Most High. What is that? That’s the absolute supremacy of God. He’s the Most High. I honored and glorified him who lives forever- he’s the eternal God. So, the attributes are just flowing at this point. His dominion is an eternal dominion. He is sovereign, he is a king, and it lasts forever and ever. His kingdom endures from generation to generation. What is a generation? It’s a bunch of mortals whose time has finished and then the next group comes up to take their place. From generation to generation to generation to a thousand generations, he’s still king.
And so, the empires are nothing, they’re nothing. The eternal dominion of God in contrast to our mortality, very much like the feet of clay and that statue. We are mortal, he’s not. He lives forever. Then the sovereignty of God directly over human beings is clearly asserted, “All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing.” Peoples are different groupings or tribes or cultures, nations, all of them. I always picture it like waffles with syrup and there’s all these pockets of places where individuals, tribes and languages and peoples and nations. All of them are like nothing to God.
And it doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about them. God so loved the world that he sent his only-begotten Son. He loves the peoples and the nations and the languages. What does Nebuchadnezzar mean? He says they’re nothing, if you’re asking, “Of all of them who would you say is the biggest threat to your power?” What would God’s answer be? Well, it’s what you just did, Wes, he laughed. You laughed. God laughs. Like none of them, none of them. So, they’re nothing to me in terms of a threat. And also, they’re nothing to me in terms of their opinion. I’m not asking for their input, I’m not asking for them to tell me, “Who has known the mind of the Lord who has been his counselor?” I’m not asking for any of their advice. So, they’re as nothing to me, they’re regarded as nothing.
And then it says, “He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth.” So that the angels, archangels, he does what he wants with them. There’s an infinite gap between God and the highest angel. There’s an infinite gap between God and every human being. He does what he wants with them. He does as he pleases with them. As Psalm 115 says, “Our God is in heaven. He does whatever pleases him.” Whatever it pleases God to do with you and me, Wes, he will do. And he has the right to do it because he made us. So, whatever pleases him, he does what he wants with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth.
And then powerfully, at verse 35, “No one can hold back his hand or stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?” So, Isaiah said this, “His hand is stretched out and who is able to turn it back?” No one. When God moves out his hand, stretches out his hand to strike, there’s no one that can stop it. That’s omnipotence, is what that is. No one is able to resist him. No one can stop him from doing what he wants to do. He has all power.
Furthermore, and this is shattering to our pride, he is not accountable to us. He does not need to give us an explanation. He doesn’t have to explain to Job why he took all 10 of his children in a single day. He never does. He doesn’t say a word to him. They’re not Job’s children, in one sense. They’re God’s, he does what he wants with them because he made them. He owns them. He owns Job. He owns all of Job’s silver and gold. He owns Leviathan and Behemoth, and he owns the powers of the heavens and the stars and the sun and the moon and the ostrich and the wild donkey. He owns it all, and he does what he wants with them and he’s not accountable to us. So, he doesn’t give Job a single explanation for what he’s done, though Job many times demands one. You can’t demand from God, “What have you done?” So, God is not answerable.
Now, we talked about this before the podcast, people do demand of God an explanation, but he’s silent. He didn’t say a thing because he’s not answerable to us and he never will be. And so, the absolute unflinching sovereignty of God, unapologetic, it is how it should be. He’s not shy in terms of his kingly power. He wields it because it’s his, so no one can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”
Wes
You’ve alluded to this before, but how is verse 36 shocking when we consider what usually happens to weak or insane emperors?
Andy
Yeah, this statement that I think is relevant here, its a physics statement, nature abhors a vacuum. So, you think about 14.7 pounds per square inch of atmospheric pressure. What is that? A bunch, millions and millions of air molecules bouncing around like crazy billiard balls, just going crazy. And if there is anywhere a vacuum, they’ll rush in, it’ll rush in. That’s how a vacuum cleaner works, it’s a rushing of air. That’s how airplanes lift up off the ground because air beats on the underside of the wing with greater power than on the top of the wing. And all that’s just nature abhors a vacuum.
All right well let’s just go to political science. When there is a powerful ruler, there’s a bunch of people plotting to topple him. That’s what’s, “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.” It’s, I know people are plotting to kill me. I know it. People would love to kill me. They hate my decrees; they would love my power. And so, they want to take my power over.
And so, the concept here is that for some amazing, some inexplicable reason, no human second in command rushed into basically finish Nebuchadnezzar off. He would’ve been helpless; he thinks he’s an animal. And I think most people would’ve been glad to have it, he was a burden. I think at the human level, Daniel probably kept the throne open, said, “Look, he’s coming back.” And he had that level of influence, ran the kingdom, which he was capable of doing, ran the kingdom in his absence. But the Bible doesn’t say that, that’s just speculating. All I’m saying is God kept his seat open. And he said he would, he said, the statement, the fact of the root system of the tree was all still there means you’re going to get it back. God had made that pledge to him, and God saw it through. So, it’s really quite remarkable.
Wes
How does Nebuchadnezzar conclude the matter and what final thoughts do you have for us on this passage?
Andy
Well, he gets his honor, he gets his glory back. His counselors come, he’s got everything back and he’s ruling. And he looks back over the whole thing and he’s a changed man. I think he’s a saved man. He’s yielding to the… I mean, I really think that’s what conversion is. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you. My yoke is my kingly authority.” Actually, Jeremiah had a yoke that he walked around with that represented the yoke of the king of Babylon, this very man. But the king of Babylon needs to put the yoke of heaven on. He needs to submit to the King of kings. He needs to yield to him. That’s the whole lesson here, verse 17, “That the nations that you, Nebuchadnezzar, may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them whoever he wants and holds him accountable for what they’ve done with them.”
So, the statement is clear. He says at the end, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the king of heaven.” Because, number one, everything he does is right, and all his ways are just. The righteousness and justice of God. What God did to me was right. I deserved it. There’s humility there, isn’t it? Like the thief on the cross, we’re just getting what we deserved. I deserve worse than that. I deserve to die. Everything God does is right, and all his ways are just, that’s something that we need to meditate on. Especially if you’re going through suffering, you’re going through trials. Maybe you have a sick child, maybe you yourself have a serious illness. Maybe you’re tempted like Job to question the justice of God. Don’t do it, God knows what he’s doing. He is just, he is perfect. Everything he does is right. Absolutely, vindicate him.
And Nebuchadnezzar did. And you think about what he’d been through, he was humiliated. He was stripped of his pride, of his honor, of his sanity, of his kingdom, everything. And he said, “I deserved it. Everything God does is just, and all his ways are right.” And then the statement, the lesson, “Those who walk in pride, he is able to humble.”
And I said at the beginning of the podcast, I’ll say it at the end, the big move for me in this one verse, it just shows how the word of God is living and active and also unchanging like a rock. How could it be both? How could it be a rock on which we can build our house, when the rains come down and the streams rise and the winds blow and beat against it? It never changes. It never moves. It never changes. Heaven and earth will pass away and not a single letter will change, it’s immovable and yet living and active.
How is that? Well, this is how it is. The words say the same thing, but we are different. We’re in a different place. We see it differently. We come at it from a different angle. Is this statement, “Those who walk in pride, he is able to humble,” based on the events of Daniel 4, a threat or a warning to arrogant people? Absolutely. How can we say it isn’t? Weren’t they a threat to Nebuchadnezzar? They were a threat. You better repent. You better renounce your wickedness and your injustices and yield to the sovereignty of God. You better, or else. And it is, it’s a threat. But then, “Those who walk in pride he is able to humble,” becomes, for me as a Christian, a sweet promise because I have come to realize that deeper than the roots of Nebuchadnezzar’s sovereign kingly power, deeper than the roots of that mighty tree is my own pride, it’s deep in me. I am fanatically committed to self, less so than I was when I was first converted, thank God, but far more than I will be in heaven.
And so, I want to be humbled. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble, and I want it. I want it in my marriage. I want it in my parenting and my pastoring. I want to be a humble man. I want to be humble, but I am not. I mean, it’s proven. Every time I get on the highway, and somebody does something in driving that I don’t like, I was like, “How dare you do that to me. You know who I am?” It’s like, “No, I don’t care who you are.” We’re all arrogant people. So, the work of salvation is genuinely a work of humbling.
And so therefore, I’ve said for years now, from this one chapter, all sin is insanity. The sanest thing we can do is worship God. And salvation is essentially a humbling process. That eternal predestination before the foundation of the world humbles us. Justification by a working of a Savior, a Mediator, long before we are even born, by his shed blood and by our faith and not works, is humbling. Sanctification by a cooperation between us and the Holy Spirit, day by day, I’m finding to be very humbling. Glorification will be humbling when after that lifetime of sanctification, we are instantly made perfect by the direct activity of God, and we will be humbled forever in heaven. So, “Those who walk in pride, he is able to humble,” oh God, do it. Make me a humble man.
“The sanest thing we can do is worship God. And salvation is essentially a humbling process. That eternal predestination before the foundation of the world humbles us.”
Wes
Now, this has been part two of episode five in our Daniel Bible Study podcast. I want to invite you to join us next time for episode six entitled, The Writing on the Wall, where we’ll discuss Daniel 5:1-31. Thank you for listening to the Two Journeys podcast and may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
