Introduction

Knowledge is half the battle.

34 “But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”

Praised, Promoted,Glorified

A lifetime of pride can be forgiven when we humble ourselves under God.

Daniel 5 NASB
5 Belshazzar the king held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand. 2 When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.

Babylon wants to desecrate what God consecrates.

5 Suddenly the fingers of a man’s hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing. 6 Then the king’s face grew pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his hip joints went slack and his knees began knocking together.

18 O king, the Most High God granted sovereignty, grandeur, glory and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father. 19 Because of the grandeur which He bestowed on him, all the peoples, nations and men of every language feared and trembled before him; whomever he wished he killed and whomever he wished he spared alive; and whomever he wished he elevated and whomever he wished he humbled. 20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became so proud that he behaved arrogantly, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken away from him. 21 He was also driven away from mankind, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his dwelling place was with the wild donkeys.
He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he recognized that the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind and that He sets over it whomever He wishes. 22 Yet you, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this, 23 but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven

History repeats itself.

25 “Now this is the inscription that was written out: ‘MENĒ, MENĒ, TEKĒL, UPHARSIN.’ 26 This is the interpretation of the message: ‘MENĒ’—God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it. 27 ‘TEKĒL’—you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. 28 ‘PERĒS’—your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.” 29 Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom. 30 That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. 31 So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.

Mene – God is sovereign. Isaiah 13:1, 17-19

Tekel – We are deficient. Romans 3:10

Peres– God is just. Psalms 89:14

Pride is a gateway sin that offers an open doorway for our enemy to drop in and tell us how great we are and that we don’t need God.

Proverbs 16:5 NIV
5 The Lord detests all the proud of heart.
Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.

Biblical humility is not low self-esteem.

Biblical humility Is not a lack of ambition.

Biblical humility is not downplaying our accomplishments.

Biblical humility is utter dependence on God. Promote God, Demote
yourself.

Romans 3:23 NASB
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23 NASB
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Daniel: Shining in Babylon
Daniel 4 & 5 Pastor Lance Ainsworth
October 19th & 22nd, 2023, Humility

Prayer Requests:

Group Discussion: Has there been a time you sat down with someone near the end of their life? What were their final thoughts?

Read aloud: Read Daniel 4:34-37, Daniel 5:1-5, 25-31

1. Daniel 4:28-30 “28 “All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king. 29 Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. 30 The king reflected and said, ‘Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?’” Do you view everything you have done and accomplished as yours? What areas of life do we have the tendency to think in terms of ourselves? How do we battle arrogance and pride? Is it ongoing? King Neb had knowledge but not wisdom, what is the difference between knowledge and wisdom?

2. Daniel 5:2“2 When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.” Belshazzar comes on the scene, throwing a party and defiling the holy consecrated items from the temple. Why did Belshazzar not learn from Nebuchadnezzar’s testimony? What have you learned or refused to learn from your parents/grandparents story? Why is it hard to learn from those who are closest to us? (parents, siblings, spouse) What holy things has our Babylon desecrated? Is there punishment for these actions?

3. We see a parallel between Daniel 2 and 5: God shows up, the king calls for wise men, the wise men cannot answer, Daniel steps up, Daniel interprets, and Daniel is promoted. Do you see this pattern anywhere else in history or scripture? Why was King Nebuchadnezzar given more chances to humble himself? Is that fair? Who determines what is fair? What does this show us about the urgency to repent?

4. Daniel 5:25“25 “Now this is the inscription that was written out: ‘MENĒ, MENĒ, TEKĒL, UPHARSIN.’ “
Read the following verses and discuss.
Mene – God is sovereign. Isaiah 13:1, 17-19
Tekel – We are deficient. Romans 3:10
Peres – God is just. Psalms 89:14