A Heart Humbled Before God
"Let his heart be changed from that of a man, Let him be given the heart of a beast, And let seven times pass over him. “This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.’" (Daniel 4:16-17)
God sees and knows everything about everyone at every point in time. There is truly nothing hidden from God's sight. It would do us well to remember that the particular place that God directs His attention above all else is the spiritual state and condition of OUR HEARTS.
God knew what was in the heart of the King of Babylon even after He had revealed His mighty power to him. God saw that his heart was lifted up in pride and that he wanted to rule over everything and everyone and that he needed to go through a humbling process by God.
This brings up a KEY PRINCIPLE: If we do not willfully humble our hearts before God, God will take it upon Himself to humble our hearts for us.
God has so much more that He desires to do in and through us but our fists are often too clenched to receive what He has. As James 4:6 teaches, "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: 'God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.'”
Let's consider what pride and humility means as it relates to our standing with our Creator...
HUMILITY is the position of a rightful place before our Creator where we know everything we say and do is because of God's gracious supply. Humility is the lowly posture of a heart that not only acknowledges God but sees Him as the source behind every good thing we receive or achieve.
PRIDE, on the other hand, seeks to take the place of God and demands that we receive the glory or the credit for the things that we believe we have achieved or accomplished. Pride removes God's hand and replaces God's worship, demanding that others look up at us over all others.
In principle...
Pride denotes God’s resistance.
Humility promotes God’s assistance!
King Nebuchadnezzar was intoxicated with his own pride and lust for power. Since prideful, self exaltation ruled his own heart, there was no room for true spiritual worship that could be pleasing to God. Even though his written decree seemed to highlight the great works of God, he was inwardly tormented by how to maintain control of his kingdom and the supremacy of his life.
This is a dangerous mixture that exists both in and out of the Church. There are those who speak the truth but they do live live the truth. They show an outward form of religious worship but lack an inward submission of a heart that is truly tender and teachable before God.
Therefore, God gave the king another spiritual dream that would expose the pride of his heart, an opportunity for repentance, and eventually his need to be chastened for his selfish ambition. Daniel was once again before the King as God's humble instrument to reveal the hard truth concerning the kingdom and his heart. But we learn that Daniel feared and worshipped God more than his own reputation or his allegiance to the king. ...Is this true of you and me?
Daniel explains the dream by sharing how the king first appeared like a strong and fruitful tree until the pride that was deep in its root system would require the tree to be chopped down to soon be replaced by the image of a beast-like man. The Lord has His ways of humbling a man.
Psalm 10:3-4 says, "For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire; He blesses the greedy and renounces the LORD. The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts."
How tragic it is when we do not consider how our attitude and actions appear before God. Now the question would be whether the king would choose to humble himself before God or be severely humbled by God. Then came the critical moment...
One year later, the king walked about his kingdom and boasted, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”. This statement revealed the true state of his heart and he was immediately transformed into the beast that would dwell in the wild for what would be seven periods of time in judgment. This sounds a lot like what will happen in the events leading up to the return of Christ. ...More on that still to come!
Sometimes, we think that the proud in heart have it so good and do not suffer as the righteous often do. We may even think that our desire to please God over ourselves is being overlooked or done in vain. But the proud will always have it coming to them in the end. As Paul says, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (Gal. 6:7).
Asaph in Psalm 73 shows us that sin and pride will always catch up to us eventually and we need to let God deal with their outcomes as we deal with our own hearts. In the end, we see there is a righteous and just conclusion to our own spiritual disillusionment about things.
"When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful for me—Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awakes, So, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image. Thus my heart was grieved, And I was vexed in my mind. I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You." (Psalm 73:16-22)
God will always honor those who humble themselves before Him but the proud will eventually suffer their punishment. Let us not think that God does not see the true state of every heart.
So where is your heart today beloved child of God? Are you holding on to your rights and demanding your own way? Is pride taking control of your heart that needs to learn to be tender, meek, humble, teachable, and moldable before God?
Isaiah says, "For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit,
To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones." (Isa. 57:15)
Remember how God questioned His servant Job saying, "This far you may come, but no farther, And here your proud waves must stop!’ . . . . “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it" . . . . “Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me"
Consider these questions to discuss in your home groups this week:
1. What is it about the heart of every person that enables us to have a mixture of priorities to be able to so easily flip flop from worshipping God one moment and exalting ourselves the next?
2. How can we truly remain humble in a culture that constantly tells us that 'It's all about you!'? What is necessary to attain and maintain a humble heart?
3. Share about ways that God has had to humble you over the years. Be honest but brief.
Furthermore, can you remember times where God tried to warn you through His Word or through someone else and you chose not listen and obey?
DANIEL CHALLENGE:
ASK GOD TO WORK IN YOU A HUMBLE HEART AND CHOOSE
TO GIVE GOD ALL THE GLORY IN ALL THAT YOU SAY AND DO.
God sees and knows everything about everyone at every point in time. There is truly nothing hidden from God's sight. It would do us well to remember that the particular place that God directs His attention above all else is the spiritual state and condition of OUR HEARTS.
God knew what was in the heart of the King of Babylon even after He had revealed His mighty power to him. God saw that his heart was lifted up in pride and that he wanted to rule over everything and everyone and that he needed to go through a humbling process by God.
This brings up a KEY PRINCIPLE: If we do not willfully humble our hearts before God, God will take it upon Himself to humble our hearts for us.
God has so much more that He desires to do in and through us but our fists are often too clenched to receive what He has. As James 4:6 teaches, "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: 'God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.'”
Let's consider what pride and humility means as it relates to our standing with our Creator...
HUMILITY is the position of a rightful place before our Creator where we know everything we say and do is because of God's gracious supply. Humility is the lowly posture of a heart that not only acknowledges God but sees Him as the source behind every good thing we receive or achieve.
PRIDE, on the other hand, seeks to take the place of God and demands that we receive the glory or the credit for the things that we believe we have achieved or accomplished. Pride removes God's hand and replaces God's worship, demanding that others look up at us over all others.
In principle...
Pride denotes God’s resistance.
Humility promotes God’s assistance!
King Nebuchadnezzar was intoxicated with his own pride and lust for power. Since prideful, self exaltation ruled his own heart, there was no room for true spiritual worship that could be pleasing to God. Even though his written decree seemed to highlight the great works of God, he was inwardly tormented by how to maintain control of his kingdom and the supremacy of his life.
This is a dangerous mixture that exists both in and out of the Church. There are those who speak the truth but they do live live the truth. They show an outward form of religious worship but lack an inward submission of a heart that is truly tender and teachable before God.
Therefore, God gave the king another spiritual dream that would expose the pride of his heart, an opportunity for repentance, and eventually his need to be chastened for his selfish ambition. Daniel was once again before the King as God's humble instrument to reveal the hard truth concerning the kingdom and his heart. But we learn that Daniel feared and worshipped God more than his own reputation or his allegiance to the king. ...Is this true of you and me?
Daniel explains the dream by sharing how the king first appeared like a strong and fruitful tree until the pride that was deep in its root system would require the tree to be chopped down to soon be replaced by the image of a beast-like man. The Lord has His ways of humbling a man.
Psalm 10:3-4 says, "For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire; He blesses the greedy and renounces the LORD. The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts."
How tragic it is when we do not consider how our attitude and actions appear before God. Now the question would be whether the king would choose to humble himself before God or be severely humbled by God. Then came the critical moment...
One year later, the king walked about his kingdom and boasted, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”. This statement revealed the true state of his heart and he was immediately transformed into the beast that would dwell in the wild for what would be seven periods of time in judgment. This sounds a lot like what will happen in the events leading up to the return of Christ. ...More on that still to come!
Sometimes, we think that the proud in heart have it so good and do not suffer as the righteous often do. We may even think that our desire to please God over ourselves is being overlooked or done in vain. But the proud will always have it coming to them in the end. As Paul says, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (Gal. 6:7).
Asaph in Psalm 73 shows us that sin and pride will always catch up to us eventually and we need to let God deal with their outcomes as we deal with our own hearts. In the end, we see there is a righteous and just conclusion to our own spiritual disillusionment about things.
"When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful for me—Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awakes, So, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image. Thus my heart was grieved, And I was vexed in my mind. I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You." (Psalm 73:16-22)
God will always honor those who humble themselves before Him but the proud will eventually suffer their punishment. Let us not think that God does not see the true state of every heart.
So where is your heart today beloved child of God? Are you holding on to your rights and demanding your own way? Is pride taking control of your heart that needs to learn to be tender, meek, humble, teachable, and moldable before God?
Isaiah says, "For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit,
To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones." (Isa. 57:15)
Remember how God questioned His servant Job saying, "This far you may come, but no farther, And here your proud waves must stop!’ . . . . “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it" . . . . “Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me"
Consider these questions to discuss in your home groups this week:
1. What is it about the heart of every person that enables us to have a mixture of priorities to be able to so easily flip flop from worshipping God one moment and exalting ourselves the next?
2. How can we truly remain humble in a culture that constantly tells us that 'It's all about you!'? What is necessary to attain and maintain a humble heart?
3. Share about ways that God has had to humble you over the years. Be honest but brief.
Furthermore, can you remember times where God tried to warn you through His Word or through someone else and you chose not listen and obey?
DANIEL CHALLENGE:
ASK GOD TO WORK IN YOU A HUMBLE HEART AND CHOOSE
TO GIVE GOD ALL THE GLORY IN ALL THAT YOU SAY AND DO.
Recent
Archive
2025
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
September
November
2024
January
February
April
May
August
September
October
November
Categories
no categories
No Comments