The Problem With Pride
Chapter four of Daniel takes on the dual perspectives of both Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar. The main idea of this text is how Nebuchadnezzar is portrayed to be this big, arrogant man who puts himself on a pedestal before God knocks him down. Daniel 4:36-37 reads, “When my sanity returned to me, so did my honor and glory and kingdom. My advisors and nobles sought me out, and I was restored as head of my kingdom with even greater honor than before. 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.”
Regardless of society's attempts to glorify pride, we must remember its true nature. Pride is a sin, and it can lead to our destruction. As James 4:6 reminds us, “And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’” It is a humbling experience to face the reality that we are not as great as we may think. Pastor Breno shares a recent humbling experience that serves as a powerful reminder of this truth.
Practical Application
Last Monday, Pastor Breno joined a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym after prolonged inactivity. While working through the warm-ups, he became deeply concerned. To make matters worse, his wife called the class questioning if it was a good idea for him to be there. As the class progressed, he started to boost his ego, telling himself he got this, and decided to go up against a seventeen-year-old.
Not twenty seconds in, Pastor Breno tapped out in the first round. In the second round — ten minutes. Then came the third. The kid was on top of him, and he was tapping out again. Pastor Breno explains that as humiliating as this experience was, he did gain a lesson from it. It humbled and showed him where he was on his journey and motivated him to keep going.
Who Are You Attributing Your “Greatness” To?
Every once in a while, we all need to be humbled. God’s patience is great, but it is not unending. For the unbelieving world there will come a day when sin is so great that His punishment and His judgment will most certainly come. Nebuchadnezzar was the most powerful, successful, and feared person. No one dared to say no to him; he had everything he wanted. In his mind, no one was higher than him, and despite witnessing the power of God on multiple occasions, he still chose pride. One common mindset many of us exhibit that Nebuchadnezzar boasted was one of self-attributed blessings. He believed he did everything on his own and only he is to thank for the bounty.
This isn’t about sucking at everything that you do—you should aim for greatness and becoming a better person. It is when we start to think that we don’t need anybody and put ourselves in a higher regard than everybody that it starts to become a problem.
The Bible tells the story of how when Nebuchadnezzar began to boast about himself, the Lord’s discipline came on him, and he lost his kingdom. He was driven away momentarily, becoming a werewolf, eating grass with the animals. Let us not forget that God knows the deepest, most hidden motives of our hearts. And although He will deal with it with love, He will still deal with it in the end.
