A Prideful King

What is pride? Pride is when sinful human beings aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him. We have seen this in the culture of Babylon and writ large in the life of their King, Nebuchadnezzar. Pride, at its core is self-centeredness, whether it's self-promotion, self-assertion, self-dependence, self-pity, or self-righteousness.

Proverbs 18:12 reads, "Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor." In Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar is going to experience pride's destruction in until he learns humility. However, the severe mercy God puts him through is not primarily punitive, but restorative - pride was actually killing Nebuchadnezzar and only in getting rid of it could he become truly great. This teaching will show us the setup of pride, the breakdown of pride, and the healing of pride.