Pride: Rebellion against the King

As a young boy, he had grown accustomed to having almost nothing. Born to humble beginnings, Lambert Simnel had no more than the meager scraps of a peasant’s life to cling to. But then, to his great surprise, his life took a strange turn, as a group of rebels who sought to overthrow King Henry the VII saw an opportunity with the boy.

They began to claim that Simnel was not the lowly boy he seemed, but rather the rightful heir to the throne of England For he was the missing Edward, Earl of Warwick, which was a name that could rally the nation’s hopes against the king. But even though it was a claim built on lies, the rebels didn’t care. They presented the boy as the lost son of a royal house, and for a moment, it seemed like England might buy the lie. They clothed Simnel in the robes of royalty, parading him as a king-in-waiting, and they raised an army of followers willing to die for a false cause. Eventually, Simnel was crowned king in Dublin, and the rebels then marched toward England, convinced they could tear Henry’s kingdom apart. But King Henry VII, didn’t respond in force - though he could have. He could have had the boy executed for treason and put down his rebellious followers with ease, but instead, King Henry chose a path that few kings would take he offered Simnel mercy.

Instead of killing the boy, King Henry had him brought to his royal court. treating him not as a prisoner, but as a guest. With a mixture of wisdom and grace, Henry hoped that his kindness might disarm Simnel’s supporters and quell the flames of rebellion without bloodshed. And so, the young boy quite literally went from rags to riches. Once a peasant with nothing, he now lived in the very heart of the royal court, a guest in the king’s castle. However, it wasn’t long before Simnel began to feel the pull of ambition again. Surrounded by those who whispered promises of power, Simnel could not resist the lure of a throne that was not his to claim. And instead of the King’s mercy softening his heart, it only fueled his desire for more. Rejecting the King’s kindness he chose instead to embrace the false narrative and rebel against the true king. And so he set out with supporting followers, seeking to violently take the throne by force.

But when the battle came, Simnel’s forces were quickly defeated, because Henry’s army was vastly superior and united behind a king who had proven his strength. Simnel was then captured, not as a king, but as the deceived boy he had always been. And why did this happen? Because of Pride.

The past couple of weeks we have been looking at the nature of pride as seen in the life of King Nebuchadnezzar, Who, like Lambert Simnel, foolishly and pridefully deceived himself into thinking he was destined for a great throne. but unlike Simnel, King Nebuchadnezzar already had a throne… And yet, in his proud heart, he longed for a greater throne: Which is the cosmic throne of the universe, that belongs only to Yahweh God.

Do you realize that this is precisely what pride is? It is foolish rebellion against the king of kings., and it is a rebellion we cannot win for it will be crushed.

And so if we want to avoid being crushed in our prideful rebellion, we must do three things: Which again, are the same 3 things we saw the last couple of weeks:

To avoid being crushed in our prideful rebellion we must recognize:

1. The Conditions of Pride
2. The Consequences of Pride
3. The Cure for Pride

The last couple of weeks we’ve seen how pride is quite a devious and deception sin. First, we saw how pride is cosmic plagiarism which is make false attributions to ourselves. Then we looked at how pride is a descent into madness, as we delude ourselves into thinking we are something we aren’t. But today, we are taking a different angle on all of this, by looking at pride as rebellion against the king.

So that’s what it is… But WHY is that what it is? Why does pride lead to cosmic rebellion?

Well the answer to that is hinted at verse 27. Let’s read it again:

²⁷ Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

Daniel 4:27 ESV

As we’ve seen, in this chapter, King Nebuchadnezzar has another dream, And it makes so he can’t sleep, so he eventually calls a much older Daniel in to interpret the dream. So Daniel does, and points out that God is about to humble King Nebuchadnezzar, by causing him to lose his mind and eat grass for seven years until, as verse 25 says, “you come to know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom He will.” So that’s coming, but before it does, Daniel urged the king to repent, But how? Lots of animal sacrifices to Yawheh God? No… By showing mercy to the oppressed…

OK, but how does this relate to Nebuchadnezzar’s pride? How is a heart of mercy the antithesis of pride?

Well to understand this, we have to go to Philippians again.

3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

Philippians 2:3 KJV 1900

Now, for those of us who were here for our study through the book of Philippians, you might remember how we spent a lot of time talking about that word “vainglory.” And that’s because it’s a REALLY important word to understand, if we are going to understand how showing mercy is the mark of a humble heart, we need to understand this.

The word the King James Version uses here is vainglory, and it’s not a common word you hear anymore today. So what is this word? The short version is, it’s “glory hunger” or “hungering for glory.” Which is exactly what pride is…

In C. S. Lewis’s fictional work, The Screwtape Letters, Lewis describes how a senior demon is at a dinner for a college of junior devils who are getting ready to go out and try to tempt humanity into sin. And Screwtape’s advice is profound. He says: “whatever else you do, when it comes to human relationships, prompt the person to think: ‘I’m as good as you are.’ “ And why? Vainglory…

See, ever since the fall, vainglory, or glory hunger, is a longing DEEP within the human soul. and this unquenchable thirst for glory leads to us constantly comparing of ourselves to others, as we desperately try to convince ourselves that we are enough. Which is why, as one theologian brilliantly put it: “every situation calls forth in us the question: What can I get out of this to support the need of my ego for power and applause.” and “how can this person contribute to my need for applause and power.”

This is why we all instinctively enter into every relationship with the mindset that says: “Will this person or people make me feel good about myself or bad about myself?” Do you see that? Vainglory. And it’s vainglory because we are using people, not serving them, all in order to feed the emptiness within our soul. That’s what pride is. and that’s exactly what’s going on in King Nebuchadnezzar’s heart, which is why Daniel says: “Repent O King!” How? “by showing mercy to the oppressed.”

Notice that Daniel doesn’t just say: “repent” nor does he say to simply “show mercy to the oppressed” And that’s because repentance without mercy isn’t repentance, and mercy without repentance isn’t really mercy at all - it’s disguised vainglory. On one hand talk is cheap, which is why repentance without right action isn’t really repentance. But on the other hand, mercy without proper motive isn’t mercy. it’s simply more vainglory.

The scary truth is that we can engage in acts of mercy without a merciful heart. Which means we are showing mercy simply because we view that relationship as a net positive for myself and my ego. It makes me feel like a good person Because everyone look at me! I’m the kind of person who is merciful… But that’s not mercy, it’s faux mercy - or fake mercy. And that’s why Daniel couples repentance with mercy.

Without a doubt, the Babylonians were very unmerciful people, which we talked about way back in Daniel 1. These people were basically the ISIS of their day. as was King Nebuchadnezzar

This is why is the next chapter, when Daniel is speaking to King Nebuchadnezzar’s proud successor, he reminds him of what Nebuchadnezzar was like:

… all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. 20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him.

Daniel 5:19-20 ESV

Do you see that? His glory was taken from him. Because that wasn’t a good glory, it was vainglory, which resulted in him being cruel and unmerciful towards others.

In the book of Habakkuk - which you really ought to read along side our study through the book daniel But in this book, the prophet Habakkuk writes of the Babylonian’s evil, saying:

⁶ Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say, “Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own - for how long? - and loads himself with pledges!” ⁷ Will not your debtors suddenly arise, and those awake who will make you tremble? Then you will be spoil for them. ⁸ Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you, for the blood of man and violence to the earth, to cities and all who dwell in them.

Habakkuk 2:6-8 ESV

Do you see that? A serious lack of mercy. And there is a serious lack of mercy because their was serious vainglory going on in their hearts, And so in their glory hunger they fed off their victims as prey.

And this is precisely what pride does. Sure… it probably hasn’t resulted in you raping and pillaging other people like the Babylonians did, but it has resulted in you using God and others as fuel for your glory hunger. as means to an end… which is your vainglory.

And if you don’t recognize this, you’re always going to be blaming others for your problems, and for the problems in this world. when the truth is, we all are what’s wrong with this world. And until you repent - which means to change your mind, and you really come to see this, you’re going to remain a very proud person.

The great theologian G. K. Chesterton was once asked by a newspaper to write in what he thought was wrong with the world. In which he responded: Dear sirs, I am. Sincerely yours, G. K. Chesterton

Similarly, this is why after World War 2, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said this in regards to the brutality of the Nazis He said: “The line between good and evil passes not through [states, classes, nor between political parties] but right through every human heart.” and that’s because it does. and this evil comes from a proud heart driven by a glory hunger to use people and things to fill that void.

And once you come to understand this, that the seeds for evil, even evil like Hitler’s, is in your heart, then you’re going to be a very proud person, who doesn’t show true mercy towards others.

And Daniel serves a prime positive example of this. In verse 19, after Daniel is given the interpretation of the dream, did you notice how responds? Is he happy about it? Is he thrilled that finally his Babylonian enemy is about to get some humble pie? NO! He’s DISMAYED by it! And then finally says:

“My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies!”

And why? Because he understood the mercy and grace of God, and the truth of what Alexander Solzhenitsyn said, when he said the line between good and evil goes through every human heart! Which means the when you’re about to throw the executioners in the pit, it should make you stop and realize it’s only the grace of God that you’re NOT the executioner yourself! And if you don’t realize this, make no mistake about it, you’re a very proud person.

The truth is, we all have a little King Nebuchadnezzar in our heart, And if we continue on our pride track, Make no mistake, Our rebellion WILL be squashed.

To avoid being crushed in our prideful rebellion we must recognize:

1. The Conditions of Pride

²⁸ All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁹ At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, ³⁰ and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” ³¹ While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you,

Daniel 4:28-31 ESV

Here King Nebuchadnezzar comes to feel the weight of a powerful truth: Which is: There is a God, and you aren’t it. Notice what He says: “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by MY mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of MY Majesty.” Do you see that? Vainglory.

See, King Nebuchadnezzar reached the top, and at the top, he began to look down upon others as if he were a God and not a man. which is why God then makes him less than a man, to show Him what Daniel told him in verses 17 and 25, which is that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.

This is the truth Paul spoke of in 1 Corinthians 4:7:

⁷ For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

1 Corinthians 4:7 ESV

The reason we arrogantly boast, is because of our prideful vainglory, that seeks to become more than what we are. It’s a Lucifarian dream is what it is. Which is a heart that refuses to let God be God and man be man, which is why our world is in the sad shape it is in.

Make no mistake, pride leads to devastating consequences, not just in this life, but in the one to come. and you can see this in King Nebuchadnezzar’s life quite clearly. Just look at all the hardship his pride brought into his life. He lost 7 years of his life eating grass like an ox. He lost out on God’s blessings in his life that would have made the greatness of Babylon look like a small dumpy shack! and all because of his pride.

This is why Proverbs 13:15 says

¹⁵ Good understanding giveth favour: But the way of transgressors is hard.

Proverbs 13:15 KJV 1900

Are you tired of the hardship your pride is bringing you? Are you tired of always feeling like you have to prove yourself to everyone? Aren’t you tired of being so petty with others and having every slight cut you to your core and being unable to forgive and move past it? Then, as John Owens said: “Kill your sin before it kills you.” For make no mistake about it - it will destroy your soul in this life and the one to come! For pride is no small sin! It led to Lucifer’s fall, Humanities’ fall in the garden, and the fall of every single human heart which instinctively tries to fill the God-shaped hole in our hearts with a self-made glory, instead of the glory of God.

And so we must turn from our pride to the only one who can heal our hearts and give us the true glory we need and long for.

To avoid being crushed in our prideful rebellion we must recognize:

In verse 34, Nebuchadnezzar finds the cure for pride, which is the same cure that we need.

³⁴ At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever

Daniel 4:34 ESV

The cure is pretty simple, Recognize that God is God and man is man. Accept it, embrace it, and rejoice in it!

Why? Nebuchadnezzar gives us 3 reasons:

We must lift our eyes to heaven because:

God is good

The first reason is because God is great, and there is no one like him.

34 … for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; ³⁵ all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

Daniel 4:34-35 ESV

Here King Nebuchadnezzar comes to realize a powerful and humbling truth. Which is that God is big and man is small! No one can stop Him, and no one can even question His ways! And if you aren’t sure of that, just ask Job, Who longed to have someone mediate between him and God so he could ask God about what He had done, And when God says: “I hear ya Job, but I’ll do ya one better, I’ll talk to you directly via the whirlwind” where God then says, “but first, just answer these 88 questions for me then we’ll get to your question about my ways and what I do.” Where were you Job when I laid out the heavens, surely you know it’s dimensions…” Have you ever commanded the morning or assigned the dawn it’s place?” “Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook or tie down its tongue with rope.” “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him?”

And after these 88 questions Job says: “Nevermind God. I don’t think I have anymore questions.” And it was because Job, like King Nebuchadnezzar came to understand that “God is God, man is not .”

And if you want to kill your pride, you have to let this truth humble you, not harden you. But for a lot of people, they can’t - or won’t let this truth humble them. But it’s just pride that prevent this. Thinking your self-made glory is enough… That you know more than the almighty… Which is absolutely ridiculous notion…

In the book of Habakkuk, which is a book about facing suffering in the midst of evil - specifically Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonians. and after he describes the Babylonians great evil, Habakkuk says:

²⁰ But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.”

Habakkuk 2:20 ESV

That’s remarkable… It’s saying, God still reigns just like the sun still shines brightly above a hurricane. And He reigns in a such a way that NOTHING - not even a devastating hurricane can thwart His will!

The second reason we must lift our eyes to heaven in humility is because: God is Gracious.

³⁶ At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me.

Daniel 4:36 ESV

This is remarkable. Here the pagan and violent king Nebuchadnezzar comes to experience the blessings of Yahweh God in His life. And why? Not because they are deserved, but because God is a merciful and gracious God.

In the book of Lamentations, which is a book of Judah’s mourning over the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by Babylon in 568 B.C., it says this:

²² The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; ²³ they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV

The truth is, even in rightful judgment our sin God remains a merciful and gracious God. Which is why back in verse 15 in Nebuchadnezzar’s vision, God commanded that the tree - which is Nebuchadnezzar - be cut down, but the stump be left with its roots in the earth,. Why? So that Nebuchadnezzar would be restored after his 7 years of judgment. And if that’s not merciful enough - which it is, even before that, he sent both a dream AND Daniel to interpret the dream to warn the king so he might repent. Which all showcases the vast mercy and grace of God. who sends us Daniel’s into our life to warn us of our rebellious pride.

So how about you? Who are the Daniel’s in your life that God has sent and might be sending even now to warn you of your pride? Are you listening to them? or are you ignoring them? Because if you are, make no mistake, God’s mercy and grace has an expiration date! For He is a great, gracious, but He is also good and just.

We must lift our eyes to heaven because:

³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Daniel 4:37 ESV

Here King Nebuchadnezzar provides a warning for us. He’s saying: “God can and will humble the proud - trust me! I know a guy!” And what’s remarkable, is that even after God puts him through this humbling experience, at the end of it all, he praises Him for doing it! He’s thankful it happened! Because He came to see the truth of Romans 8:28 and how God uses suffering for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. And so Nebuchadnezzar accepts God’s mercy and grace, in midst of deserved judgment. Which is why I believe we will see this man in glory.

And so the chapter ends and leaves us with a burning question. Will we humble ourselves before the one and only king of Heaven? Will bow the knee in humble submission, acknowledging that all His ways are right? Will we accept His much-needed mercy and grace in our lives, and be forever changed by it by becoming ministers of mercy? Will we seek the glory we long for on His terms, not our own - as we trust that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose?

And if you’re here today struggling to believe this. or maybe you do, but it’s not changing your life - not really, Then bring your pride to the foot of the cross where all our pride is shattered into a billion microscopic pieces.

When it comes to the cross of Christ, I can think of nothing more prideful that looking at it and rejecting Jesus Christ as your Lord and your Savior. To look upon Him and think: “My glory is enough.” Because it’s not enough - not even close. And so to kill our pride we must survey the wondrous cross. We must turn to Christ are our judge and savior Who lived the life we should have lived and died the death we deserve, So that we might replace our vainglory with His eternal glory.

I close us today with verse 1 from that old great Hymn, when I survey the wondrous cross, Which goes:

When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride.

This is the manuscript the sermon was preached from, so the recording may differ in places.