What comes to mind when you hear the word humble? #Gamechanger QUESTION LifeWay BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 91

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1 What comes to mind when you hear the word humble? QUESTION 1 #Gamechanger BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 91

2 THE POINT Pride leads to downfall, but God honors humility. THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE I like to watch people who are good at what they do. Whether it s a gifted singer on stage, a master craftsman with a piece of wood, an artist with a canvas, or a writer unfolding a story, they apply their talents with self-confidence. Unfortunately, we ve also seen people whose self-confidence slowly morphed into pride. In the middle of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln wrote: We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. 1 President Lincoln called for a day of fasting and prayer so that a proper perspective could be regained. Today s study looks at another national leader who came to a place of humiliation. Babylon s King Nebuchadnezzar was a man very full of himself, but God taught him a costly (yet valuable) lesson in what it means to live humbly before Him SESSION 4

3 WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? Daniel 4:28-35 (HCSB) 28 All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of 12 months, as he was walking on the roof of the royal palace in Babylon, 30 the king exclaimed, Is this not Babylon the Great that I have built by my vast power to be a royal residence and to display my majestic glory? 31 While the words were still in the king s mouth, a voice came from heaven: King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared that the kingdom has departed from you. 32 You will be driven away from people to live with the wild animals, and you will feed on grass like cattle for seven periods of time, until you acknowledge that the Most High is ruler over the kingdom of men, and He gives it to anyone He wants. Babylon (v. 30) The city of Babylon was the capitol of the region of Babylonia. It was located on the Euphrates River about 50 miles south of modern Baghdad. The city dates at least to the period of the Old Testament patriarchs and reached its zenith under Nebuchadnezzar. Army of heaven (v. 35) This term can refer to the heavenly bodies (sun, moon, and stars) or to the angelic forces in heaven. 33 At that moment the sentence against Nebuchadnezzar was executed. He was driven away from people. He ate grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky, until his hair grew like eagles feathers and his nails like birds claws. 34 But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity returned to me. Then I praised the Most High and honored and glorified Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. 35 All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does what He wants with the army of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can hold back His hand or say to Him, What have You done? BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 93

4 THE POINT Pride leads to downfall, but God honors humility. Daniel 4:28-30 King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. Just as he had done in chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar called in his wise men, mediums, Chaldeans, and astrologers to interpret the dream, but they were clueless. But Daniel, in whom the king said, was the spirit of the holy gods (Daniel 4:8) told the king what the dream meant. In his dream the king saw a large, beautiful tree being cut down, leaving only the stump and roots. The vision was a warning from God to Nebuchadnezzar: he was heading down the wrong road. God was telling Nebuchadnezzar what was going to happen if he didn t change. Why was God sending Nebuchadnezzar a warning? The king had no room for God, because he was full of himself. Or, more accurately, he was full of pride. God s ultimate purpose was to break Nebuchadnezzar s pride and lead him to acknowledge God. Your kingdom will be restored to you as soon as you acknowledge that Heaven rules (v. 26). Daniel pleaded with Nebuchadnezzar to repent and to show mercy to the needy (v. 27). And perhaps Nebuchadnezzar did so for a while. Or perhaps God gave the king an additional year as an act of mercy, giving him time to repent. Nevertheless, at the end of 12 months Nebuchadnezzar gave in to his pride. As Nebuchadnezzar looked at the great city of Babylon, all he saw was his own power and glory. Granted, Babylon was a large and magnificent city. Even a century after the glory days of Nebuchadnezzar s reign, historians still wrote in awe of the magnificence of the great city. Nebuchadnezzar carried out extensive building projects. The Hanging Gardens surely were the most famous of these; they were considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. As Nebuchadnezzar looked out at all this, all he saw was himself. How would you describe the difference between being proud and being prideful? QUESTION 2 In spite of Daniel s warning, Nebuchadnezzar still had not learned humility. But he was about to. 94 SESSION 4

5 Where do you see pride s destructive power at work in today s culture? QUESTION 3 Daniel 4:31-33 While King Nebuchadnezzar s prideful words were still in his mouth, God executed judgment on him. Nebuchadnezzar instantly was driven from his people, he became like a wild animal, and he lived with the animals for seven years. In all likelihood, he suffered some sort of mental breakdown. Psychologists have identified a rare mental illness, boanthropy, in which a person believes he or she is actually a cow or ox. No matter how we label it, Nebuchadnezzar s condition came from the hand of God. God humbled him. A person full of pride does not think clearly. That s where Nebuchadnezzar was; he recognized and spoke only of his own power and glory (v. 30). His unclear thinking led to totally irrational thinking and behavior; he even started acting and living like an animal. All this was the work of God. It was His judgment and sentence on a man full of pride. A prideful attitude runs contrary to the will and wisdom of God. While it brings conflict with others, pride also keeps us from experiencing life to the fullest under the love and grace of God. We can recognize that and humble ourselves, or God will break us of our pride so that we can see Him. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 95

6 THE POINT Pride leads to downfall, but God honors humility. "When pride comes, disg race follo ws, but with What is your initial reaction to verses 34-35? hum il ity comes wisdom." PROVERBS 11:2 QUESTION 4 PRIDE VS. HUMILITY Are you proud or humble? Evaluate your level of pride in different areas of life. How often do you model humility for the members of your family? (Rarely) (Regularly) How often would your coworkers label you as proud? (Rarely) (Regularly) How often do you display pride in your possessions? (Rarely) (Regularly) 96 SESSION 4

7 Daniel 4:34-35 What brought Nebuchadnezzar back to sanity and reality? I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity returned to me. Looking up to heaven was an act of submission to the One who rules heaven and earth. And God responded with an act of grace: He restored Nebuchadnezzar s sanity. Nebuchadnezzar came back to reality a different person. He no longer praised himself. He no longer claimed the glory; instead he gave the glory to God. I praised the Most High and honored and glorified Him who lives forever. Instead of a man who was selfexalting, self-proclaiming, self-reliant, selfish, and self-contained, we now see a man completely humbled. Instead of an enraged king asking Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Who is the god who can rescue you from my power? (Daniel 3:15) we see a contrite king readily acknowledging the power of God. Nebuchadnezzar surrendered his pride to the One who is far greater. James 4 shows us how to deal with our own pride. 1. Submit to God (James 4:7). Submit is a military term, which means to place under orders. We make a choice to come under the authority of God. 2. Resist the Devil (v. 7). Resist means to stand against an individual. But let s be clear: we cannot resist the Devil unless we first submit to God. When you place yourself under God s authority, He will stand with you and for you. 3. Draw near to God (vv. 8-9). We are to turn from sinful attitudes and actions that cause us to be distant from God. 4. Humble yourself (v. 10). Humility is being grateful and thankful to God and others for investing in our lives. What are some practical ways we can submit to God? QUESTION 5 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 97

8 THE POINT Pride leads to downfall, but God honors humility. LIVE IT OUT What will you do to live humbly before God? ]] Embrace humility. Spend time this week asking God where submission is needed in your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas of pride that need to be addressed so that you can approach God with a proper attitude. ]] Memorize Proverbs 11:2. Commit this verse to memory as a reminder of the dangers that can result from pride as well as the blessings of humility. ]] Display humility. We live in a toot your own horn culture. Pay attention this week to how often you re tempted to talk about your own accomplishments or abilities. Instead, make it your goal to listen and learn more from the person you re talking with. You don t have to be a national leader to be suseptible to excessive pride. Recognize God and His authority, and then be ready to rest in the plans He has for you. My thoughts 98 SESSION 4