I have walked with the Lord for more than 46 years and I have learned one important lesson. If you want to get God's attention, do one of two things--either be proud or be humble. Let's look at some biblical justification for making such a claim:
-
"The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverted mouth, I hate" (Proverbs 8:13).
-
There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood (Proverbs 6:16-17).
-
He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed (Proverbs 3:34) (this verse is often quoted in the New Testament).
-
For the Lord of hosts will have a day of reckoning against everyone who is proud and lofty and against everyone who is lifted up, that he may be abased (Isaiah 2:12).
-
"He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart" (Luke 1:51, spoken by Mary, the mother of Jesus).
What does this have to do with our current study titled Success in Babylon? It is important because we see this truth play out in the lives of both Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar.
THE KING
Nebuchadnezzar was a proud, hot-tempered, and ruthless fellow. When Daniel delivered the interpretation to his first dream in which the king was the head of gold, he decided to build a statue of gold, making himself the only and most important character from that dream. When Daniel's friends refused to bow down to his image, the king tried to execute them. God continued to reach out to the king, warning him through Daniel:
“This is the interpretation, Your Majesty, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king: You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes. The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules. Therefore, Your Majesty, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue" (Daniel 4:24-27).
The king had to humble himself or be humiliated and he chose the latter. For seven years, he acted like a beast (which is the end result of all human pride), until he acknowledged the truth of what Daniel had told him: "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble" (Daniel 4:37).
DANIEL
On the other hand, Daniel was the epitome of humility, a superstar of epic proportions in the history of God's people. He accepted his relocation, his role in Babylon, and his service to a proud king with dignity and grace. He was an example of a truth that Jesus spoke 600 years after Daniel when He said, "For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted" (Matthew 23:12).
When working with inmates, I found a lot of pride in their lives and the lives of the officials around them. I taught them that God was humbling them, perhaps had even humiliated them, but regardless of which it was, if they would cooperate with God's discipline, he would exalt them like he had Daniel or restore them like he did Nebuchadnezzar. I also emphasized that promotion is not a matter of humility only, for the Bible teaches that "No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt themselves. It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another" (Psalm 75:6-7). God will promote who He wants and it is best to humble oneself and accept HIs choices, for to resist is a form of pride.
If you are going to thrive in a spiritually-hostile environment, you must learn to walk in humility not as an event but as a lifestyle. Determine to accept God's promise that He will respond to both humility and pride and choose the former as a means to activate God's favor and help. Not every story ends with the proud being dealt with as this story relates, but the story shows what is important to God, and that means it is our priority as well. Live by the words of Peter and you will prosper no matter where God places you: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time" (1 Peter 5:6). Have a blessed week!
Comments