dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty ?” It was well established that Babylon was the greatest kingdom on earth , and , here , the King takes credit for what he has achieved : “ by my might power ” and for “ my majesty .” For all of his power and might , he was blind , and God wanted him to know that there is none greater than God himself . Daniel informed the King that because of his pride , God would cause him to lose his kingdom , and the King would be reduced to the likes of an animal “ till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men , and gives it to whomever He chooses ” ( Daniel 4:25 ).
When the king came to his senses and “ lifted [ his ] eyes to heaven , and [ his ] understanding returned . . . . blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever ( 34 ), God restored him to his kingdom .
And the lesson for all of us is this : By the prerogative of God ,
we achieve whatever good in life that occurs at our hands . When we claim credit for what God has allowed us to do , we commit , what Rev Tim Keller calls “ cosmic plagiarism ,” we steal from God the credit he deserves . This is the problem of pride . The King who thought he had it all found the limits of his power and wealth when he could not sleep peacefully because of dreams and visions . God would not let him rest until he understood a fundamental truth . No matter how high we ascend in life , God is supreme .
EFFECTS OF PRIDE
In reality , pride is a form of selfdeception . Deuteronomy 8:17 confirms this with these words , “ Beware lest you say in your heart , ‘ My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth ’” ( NIV ). Congratulating self for one ’ s achievements is false thinking which leads to missteps .