Daniel 4
“Be Humble or Be Humbled” – Daniel 4
1. The King Who Had It All
📖 Read: Daniel 4:1–19
Nebuchadnezzar, the most powerful man in the world, was blessed, successful, and unmatched in power. But despite his encounters with Daniel’s God, his heart remained proud and self-sufficient.
Main Point: Pride blinds us to God’s grace. It convinces us that we are the authors of our own success and the masters of our fate. But God, in mercy, warns us before He humbles us.
🔑 1 Corinthians 4:7 – “What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?”
💬 Quote: “Pride is cosmic plagiarism—it claims to be the author of what is really a gift.” – Tim Keller
Application Questions:
Where do you see pride subtly taking root in your life?
How does God typically get your attention when you begin to drift toward self-sufficiency?
Who are the “Daniel-type friends” God has used to speak truth and correction into your life?
2. God’s Warning and Our Choice
📖 Read: Daniel 4:20–27
Daniel interprets the king’s dream: judgment is coming—but so is mercy. Nebuchadnezzar is invited to repent before the fall.
Main Point: God always warns before He wounds. His correction is an act of love, giving us a chance to choose humility before we’re forced into it.
💬 Reflection: “You can choose the pain of repentance or the pain of regret.”
Application Questions:
How has God warned you in the past—through people, Scripture, circumstances, or conviction?
Why do you think it’s so hard to choose humility proactively rather than reactively?
What would it look like for you to respond to God’s warning today rather than wait for the fall?
3. When Pride Comes Before the Fall
📖 Read: Daniel 4:28–33
The king takes a prideful stroll on the palace roof, glorying in his accomplishments. In an instant, his sanity and kingdom are stripped away.
Main Point: Pride is the illusion of control—it leads us to forget that everything we have is a gift from God. When we exalt ourselves, God will lovingly bring us low to restore what pride destroys.
💬 Quote (Ian Duguid): “Pride is never satisfied in what has been accomplished… its essence lies in defeating others, not in achieving the thing itself.”
Application Questions:
How does comparison feed pride in your heart?
Where have you experienced God’s humbling work in your own life?
How might God be pruning you right now to produce humility and fruitfulness?
4. When Eyes Lift Up to Heaven
📖 Read: Daniel 4:34–37
When Nebuchadnezzar’s reason returns, his eyes are lifted to heaven. His power is restored—not because he earned it, but because he finally acknowledged God as God.
Main Point: Humility restores what pride ruins. God’s mercy doesn’t just forgive us—it transforms our hearts and reorients our gaze toward Him.
🔑 2 Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray… I will forgive their sins and restore their land.”
Application Questions:
What does genuine repentance look like in your life right now?
How does humility free you from anxiety, comparison, and control?
In what area do you need to say: “God, You are God—and I am not”?
5. From Pride to Praise
📖 Read: Philippians 2:5–11
There is another King who descended from heaven’s throne to humility on a cross. Unlike Nebuchadnezzar, Jesus chose humility—and through it, God exalted Him.
Main Point: The cure for pride is not self-hatred but Christ-centered worship. The cross is where our eyes are lifted upward and our pride is crucified.
💬 Quote: “Those who walk in pride He is able to humble.” – Daniel 4:37
Application Questions:
How does Jesus’ humility challenge your view of strength and success?
How can you daily “lift your eyes to heaven” and live in gratitude rather than pride?
Who in your life needs to see a humble, grace-filled witness from you this week?
🙏 Prayer Prompts (Wrap-up)
Humility: “God, teach me to see every success as a gift from You.”
Repentance: “Reveal where pride has blinded me—and restore my sight.”
Gratitude: “Thank You for lifting me up when I deserved to be brought low.”
Witness: “Let my life point others to the true King who humbled Himself for us.”