DARE TO BE A DANIEL
Learning Humility the Hard Way
Daniel
4
Jerry A Collins
SCC
Why is it so hard to be humble?
Is humility the key to serving God?
What makes pride such a sin in God’s eyes?
It is
about pride that the Bible differs most sharply with the world. The world may
agree that theft, murder, discrimination, and drunkenness are wrong.
Unbelievers may even admit such vices. But you will never hear an unbeliever
say his sin was pride! You have never heard the world declare pride to be an
evil. TV programs, movies, books, magazines or classrooms all promote pride as
a virtue. For instance, in Webster’s pride is defined as having or displaying excessive self-esteem
and having proper self-respect. It also defines humility as having or showing a low estimate of one’s importance. Crucial
to understanding the world’s thinking here is noticing that in our world pride can
be a virtue while humility can be detrimental. In the Bible, just the opposite
is true! We will discover this to be true from the lessons we learn in Daniel
4. Humility is the path toward God and because of the way we think about
humility, we often have to learn about humility the hard way. Pride and
humility in the life of king
1. HUMILITY IS NOT OUR NATURE BUT MUST BE LEARNED 1-18
Humility
sees all value, virtue, power and glory beginning and ending with God. Humble
people focus on their sin. Prideful people focus on their accomplishments. Here
we have a statement, literally a decree of
1-3 Written by
4
This is where he had started out from. A proverbial fat-cat.
Isn’t this what those who have not received the
5 He has another dream. God has spoken like this before to
6-7
He gives orders and commands that the wise men give him an interpretation. See
the power he has. The self-importance embracing him.
Yet they could not help him just as before. The difference is that they admit
it now. So everything is set up for Daniel’s entrance and God’s
dealings.
8
Daniel still carries the name
9-18
2. HUMILITY COMES FROM UNDERSTANDING THAT
GOD SOVEREIGNLY RULES OVER ALL
Humility
knows that God is the source of all that we need—not our job or our
connections or our personality or our bank accounts or our reputation or our
good looks or our authority. The world stresses pride because it works in
this life. Humility succeeds in the next life.
19
Daniel’s heart goes out to
21-24
25
Until he realizes the Most High rules over mankind. God had raised
26 However
this judgment is not the end because a stump of his kingdom preserved until he
recognizes God.
27
Daniels advice? (1) Repent. (2) Righteous deeds. (3) Mercy
to poor. Same call there is today for us. Repentance always
prerequisite for humility.
28-30
31-33 Judgment comes while these words are in his mouth. Most powerful man on earth now insane. Possibly placed ion
royal gardens and hid from public during period. His power and greed now
reflected in his image as an animal. Jesus said everyone who exalts self will
be humbled. Humbles self will be exalted.
3. HUMILITY MAKES THE KING
OF HEAVEN OBJECT OF GAZE
34-37
Lifting his eyes to heaven—an acknowledgment of God he says 4 things. (1) God lives
forever. (2) God has sovereign authority. (3) God’s plans will be accomplished. (4) God is answerable to noone. The King of heaven now becomes the object of His
gaze not himself. Not his power. Not his position. The key for serving God is
humility not pride. Pride is never good in the Bible. Humility is always good
in the Bible. Pride is root of all evil. Humility the root of
all good.
(1) It is simply mad to live as if God did not exist.
(2) God can humble us if he chooses but would rather we humble
ourselves.
(3) God spoke this lesson thru a dream to
(4) As long as you are proud you cannot know God.
(5) Don’t be proud
of your children, employees or team. Take pleasure in pleasing others and you
can admire what God has done in others but affirming that others have done
something apart from God is sin.
(6) Humility sees people as distributors or channels rather than
sources of the glory of God.