A Serving of Humble Pie

Week 4

Daniel: Lives of Integrity, Words of Prophecy

 

"But leave the stump and the roots in the ground, bound with a band of iron and bronze and surrounded by tender grass. Now let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the wild animals among the plants of the field." -Daniel 4:15 (NLT)

A month has passed since my study of Daniel ended. It was twelve chapters divided into slices of character and vision. Slowly, but surely, I've processed the deluge of information Beth Moore doled out. Each week I had become more expectant than the previous waiting for new bits to chew on. So now we get to sample a piece of humble pie.

Pride is a liar. Pride is like that nasty green jello served to patients at nursing homes for dessert- disgusting. It's also the central issue of Daniel chapter four. This passage begins with the king praising The Most High God. It didn't take long for old Neb to decide he had made himself great, and everything he had was because of his majesty. Sometimes the transition from praising God to taking pride in our own ability is a quick as licking that last bit of goodness off the fork. Savoring the richness of the creamy filling can sometimes lead us to forget the crust...the thing that holds it all together.

It seems to me that the issue is insecurity. Fear of the what ifs. My definition of insecurity is what happens when we rely on ourselves to do something fully aware that we are not sufficient to do on our own. I recall a conversation with a woman about reading the Bible. It centered on not understanding what was being read, yet at the same time this person didn't want to ask what was meant by the passage(s). After I had remarked that sometimes people like to preserve their image instead of publicly seeking answers to their questions, she then said, "Oh, I don't care what people think of me, I just don't want to sound like a dummy." Well, which is it?

The king had forgotten that what he had done was because God allowed him to do it. The riches and land and people he had conquered and amassed was because the Lord Almighty had given him favor...for a time and a purpose. Neb wanted to be sure that everyone else was aware of his accomplishments. In that he had conquered the known world, and to him, there was none who was greater, coupled with forgetting the One who gave it to him, he had compared himself to God.

Luke 18 gives an account of Jesus describing what can be summed up as pride. Verse ten begins his dialogue:

"Two men went into the temple courtyard to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed, 'God, I thank you that I'm not like other people! I'm not a robber or a dishonest person. I haven't committed adultery. I'm not even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my entire income.' "But the tax collector was standing at a distance. He wouldn't even look up to heaven. Instead, he became very upset, and he said, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' "I can guarantee that this tax collector went home with God's approval, but the Pharisee didn't. Everyone who honors himself will be humbled, but the person who humbles himself will be honored."

 God desires that we come to him with a humble heart. He honors our humility. When we don't understand, it's necessary for us to say so. He's already aware of our need, and He's always waiting for us to realize that we need Him to help us. It's counted as righteousness to seek Him.

The good news is that there is grace in the person of Jesus Christ. Notice his last statement in Luke 18:14. That's grace. It's the whipped cream. It's the kindness that complements the goodness. Speaking of pie and Jesus, let's take a look at some qualities that make up the delightful decadence that is The Way, The Truth, and The Life.

Crust-

He is our foundation. Our lives are built on him. As followers of "The Way," we recognize that he offers truth that doesn't change. His Ways must become our ways, otherwise we will continue to have to reshape our dough, or graham crackers. How do we come to know His ways? We have to read what He said. What do we do if we don't understand? My crust keeps falling apart. What am I doing wrong? [Gasp! I might be doing something wrong?] If a recipe has been tested time after time and the originator of the recipe says, "Do it this way and it will turn out properly," then perhaps it may be the one reading the recipe who is in error.

Filling-

The Holy Spirit fills us up with things that prove our love for God and for each other. We can't give something that we don't have. A humble spirit is something we receive from God, and then we give little slices of it away. So if we're always recognizing our need for more of Him, He will continue to fill us with our needs. These needs are the same for everyone: acceptance, identity, purpose, and security (and I'd say these "fillings" really go back to our crust.) The thing about these primary needs is that humans aren't perfect, so it's impossible for us to fulfill these needs for each other. Only God can do that. When we rely on each other to fill us with things that only come from God, we end up disappointed, and our pie tastes awful.

Topping-

What makes a pie more appealing than whipped cream? Presentation, taste, creativity are enhanced by grace. Those extra touches that go above and beyond expectation have a way of bringing immeasurable pleasure. Jesus' dealing with the woman at the well, healing the blind man who was unable to see from birth, the lame man that Peter and John made jump for joy are good examples of grace. 

For Nebuchadnezzar, God didn't just take away his kingdom and it was done. God provided a warning, gave a lesson, and then restored what was temporarily restricted. There was a foundation, a crust, if you will: I am God, I make the rules and give to whom I please. I want you to acknowledge me. Neb remembered for a time where his prosperity came from, and then he forgot again. This was a pattern he had developed. It needed correction. So God took away his slice of pie.

Sometimes we need a "refilling." Christians need to remember that God disciplines His Children. According to the Bible, the apostle Paul says this as a good thing. "Hey, the Lord knows there's hope for me yet. Okay, Father, I'm sorry for _____. Please forgive me. I need you to help me to not do that again."

But then in His great love, God gives grace. That beautiful topping makes the slice we were handed back appear fresh, and perhaps uneaten. Not only did Nebuchadnezzar gain back his sanity, but he was restored as leader of his kingdom. Daniel recorded God's word to the king, "But the stump and roots of the tree were left in the ground. This means that you will receive your kingdom back again when you have learned that heaven rules." (Daniel 4:26)

There is hope for a tree when it is cut down. It will sprout again. Its shoots will not stop sprouting. Job 14:7