Q&A: Daniel 4

Daniel 4 Q&A

Here are some brief answers to our questions from our Sunday evening service. If you would like to discuss more, please call me or email at bruces@stphils.org.au.

1. How do I know when God is discipling me because of my pride instead of the outcome of a broken world?

I think I answered this incorrectly on Sunday (I read "discipline" instead of "disciple" - sorry!) I answered: Satan loves to make us feel guilt and shame. God's Spirit leads us to feel convicted of our sin.

However, reading the question correctly now, I would answer - God disciples us by conviction and encouragement and disciplines us with that same love. However, we will actually discuss this in more detail next Sunday under Daniel 5! The short answer - sometimes we don't know the difference.

2. How do you start a conversation with someone about their pride?

With gentleness and love. Always speak the truth in love. ( 1 John reference!) Remember we all come with baggage and struggles and things we are working through. Try to work out what's happening for a person before you dive into rebuking them or bringing up an area of sinfulness in their life.

3. How do we balance humility with maintaining good self-esteem?

Great quote from Anna on this - Humility is thinking of yourself less, not thinking less of yourself. You are made by God, in the image of God, and because of that, you are valuable. Try not to elevate anything else above that most valuable aspect of who you are.

4. We want to encourage our children and build them up. How do we do this whilst avoiding unhelpful pride?

Children (and all of us) need encouragement. But we also need correction. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 are great verses to remember:

We need it all - correction and rebuke. But we need it in good measure. And it should always be done with love. Most of all, we want to build children, and others, up in love and truth, and in their identity in Jesus. This is where we should find our value. If we only encourage children (or others!) when they do well at school, or in life, or earn lots of money or get a great job, then we are causing them to find value (and probably pride and arrogance) in those things. Encourage them in their relationship with God first and this will go a long way to avoiding the sin of pride.

5. What is the significance of Nebuchadnezzar becoming like an animal?

I think the most helpful thought is that he was made in the image of God, like all humans, yet he elevated himself above God, the creator. Therefore, God humbled him to resemble below human status. God humbles the proud. Quoting Proverbs 3:34, James says:

6. Do you think Nebuchadnezzar will be with Christians in heaven?

We just don't know! He did seem to repent, but his pattern shows that he often did that, then reverted to arrogance again. So in the end, we don't know how he ended up with God. he just sort of disappears! It would of course be great if he did retain his trust and faith in God.

7. Can Daniel 4 be interpreted as a testimonial of Babylon’s King of his repentance to God?

Yes - absolutely. He was testifying to his repentance. However, as with the above answer, he's done that before. Will he hold firm this time? We just don't know.

8. Pharaoh (in Exodus) challenged God’s power. He was stubborn and King Nebuchadnezzar repented. What lesson can we learn about God’s grace and Free Will?

God raises up and destroys leaders. He can intervene or leave them to run their course. Sometimes he chooses to allow a leader's heart to remain hard, like Pharaoh's heart. Sometimes he chooses not to work in them by his power. other times, he does, like with Nebuchadnezzar. As we will discuss more next Sunday, we don't always know how God is working.

9. If living under the authority suppresses Christian faith, like Jews in concentration camps, any practical lessons can be learnt from Daniel to deal with fear?

Fear God above all else! Remain faithful to him first of all. Sometimes we live under oppression. Other times we rise up from it. But we do need to be people of peace and hope, grace and courage. It is sometimes difficult to know when to rise up. Ecclesiastes reminds us there is a time for war and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:8)

10. How do we keep our pride in check?

Keep our head and hearts in the Scriptures, and in prayer. Remain in fellowship with, and trust, your Christian brothers and sisters around you to keep you in check. Philippians 2 is a great reminder of where we should land every day.

11. Question for Anna: what do you think of the socks #Joshpride ?

I'll leave this one to Anna, although Josh does carry off a sense of fashion that not many others can manage, IMHO.

Click here to watch the questions answered during our live Q&A after the sermon at night church last Sunday.

Q and A is from 1:09:15