What happens to those who walk in pride (Daniel 4:37)?

The chapter closes with another note of praise: "Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and His ways judgment: and those that walk in pride He is able to abase" (v. 37). Comparing the Nebuchadnezzar who renders this praise to God with the Nebuchadnezzar who said, as he surveyed the magnificence of his city, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built?" etc., we can only exclaim, "What hath God wrought!" He had indeed shown His power to abase the one who was walking in pride; and, more than this, in abasing him He so effectually changed the heart of the monarch that he turned submissively to the hand that had smitten him, and confessed that all God's works are truth, and His ways judgment. He thus justified God, a sure and unmistakable sign of conversion, and as he justified Him his lips were filled with praise and adoration. It is a lovely picture of the ways of God both in judgment and in grace.

Nebuchadnezzar is brought personally to extol and honour the King of heaven. Before, he had owned that Daniel's God was a God of gods and the Lord of kings: later, he had passed a decree that none should speak a word against God, but at last he himself turns to God, and praises Him. Now he says "Those that walk in pride He is able to abase." He no longer talks about cutting people in pieces and making their houses a dunghill if they do not praise and bless the God of heaven. He will not intrude into God's domain, for God Himself knows how to humble the proud. He no longer tells others what they are to do, but he acknowledges what he himself does. He says 'Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and His ways judgment: and those that walk in pride He is able to abase."

Finally, then, the king proclaims God’s personal dealings with him. Let us quote: “Nebuchadnezzar the king unto all people … I thought it good to show the signs and wonders that the high God had wrought toward me.” Notice this; it is a broad and bold confession of the judgment that had befallen him on account of his pride. He had passed through deep waters under God’s correcting hand. He had seen the mysterious premonitory vision of the tree that was hewn down, with only the stump of its former greatness left, bound with iron and brass, and wet with the dew of heaven, a beast’s heart given, and seven times passing over him. “All this came upon Nebuchadnezzar … At the end of the days I lifted up mine eyes unto heaven,” (proper action of every burdened soul), “and mine understanding returned unto. me; and I blessed the Most High; and I praised and honoured Him … He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest thou?” What a lesson for earth’s proudest potentate to learn! And hence—“I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth and His ways judgment: and those that walk in pride He is able to abase.” Remember that this is the effect of personal humiliation, “toward me,” said the once proud monarch. But he had been abased, emptied, brought to the dust, and now, revisited with mercy, his lips are full of the praise of his Corrector.

More cannot be said; only let us remember that he did not live in New Testament times, when the gospel carries the knowledge of salvation, and makes that the basis of worship. But he had learned the wisdom of God from the lips of Daniel, he had seen the sympathy of God with His suffering people in the fiery furnace, and he had bowed to His will—that irresistible will that commands the army of heaven—in the seven years of sore abasement—three deeply important lessons. Nor is he ashamed to publish all, as with trumpet tongue, so that God might be glorified. This, at least, is no small evidence of what is called “conversion.”

Let us not forget the abasing power of God. We often dwell upon the grace of Christ, as mentioned in the Epistle to the Hebrews, but let us not forget that not only is He able to sympathize, 'able to succour,' and 'able to save,' but also, 'able to abase.' He did it effectually with Nebuchadnezzar, and evidently for his spiritual good. He will presently do it far more drastically with the 'beast' of Revelation 13, as we see when Revelation 19 is reached. The pride of man, generated by his scientific advances and consequent wonderful achievements, is increasing. It will reach its climax ere long. Then Nebuchadnezzar's confession will be demonstrated as true in overwhelming fashion — 'those that walk in pride He is able to abase.'

Daniel 4: The dream and the interpretation shows that Nebuchadnezzar himself was the great tree to be cut down, and the prophet exhorted him to renounce his sins and reform his ways, and peradventure the judgement might be postponed. But his pride was not subdued, for at the end of the year he boasted of the great city which he had built by the might of his power and for the honour of his majesty; but not a word about God. He was driven among the cattle for seven years. It is a solemn thing to have to do with the living God; but God had mercy on the king, his reason returned, and the kingdom was restored to him. Now he could say, "I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgement: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase." He had learned God's lesson, and we hear of him no more. In the last days the Gentile rulers, after having used their power as 'beasts,' will acknowledge God as the source of all authority, and be brought into blessing in connection with Israel. The second characteristic which marked Gentile rule is that, refusing to own God, it descends to the level of a beast.

He was now a maniac, and was driven away from men, and ate grass as the ox. He remained thus apparently seven years, signified by 'seven times' (as a time, times, and half a time signify three and a half years in Dan. 12:7); then his reason returned, and the kingdom was restored to him. He now said, "I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgement: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase." Dan. 2 — Dan. 4.

“At the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes to heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honoured Him that lives for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation: and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and He does according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest Thou? At the same time my reason returned to me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and His ways judgment: and those that walk in pride He is able to abase.”

Chapter 4 states the external glory of a tree, the symbol of exaltation in the earth, which God had made to flourish; and this change takes place. Instead of subduedness and intelligence (to, wit, of God), there is given to this exalted representation of power a beast's heart - ravening and ignorance of God, till they should learn that the Most High ruleth. That a man's heart signifies this quietness and subjection, is shewn chapter 7:4. The result is, that those that walk in pride He is able to abase. Compare Ezekiel 17:24.

Let none suppose that the divine interest is confined to the Church. The Church is indeed a very special thing in the earth, united as one body to Christ its Head in Heaven; and being such is tenderly cared for with all the strength of infinite love. But all men, even though unappreciative of the wonderful grace of God revealed in the Gospel, are nevertheless the creatures of His hand, and He cannot but feel an interest in their welfare. It was intended that Jehoram should learn that deliverance does not depend upon "men, money, and munitions." There is at all times a God to be reckoned with, who is well able to circumvent all the designs of the mightiest enemy, and to give deliverance apart from military efforts altogether. Kings and their advisers should remember that the secrets of the council chamber (however carefully kept from the people) are all known to God. "With Him all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and He does according to His will in the army of Heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay His hand or say to Him, What doest Thou!" (Dan. 4:35). These are lessons that God would teach the leaders of men in this day; happy would it be for all concerned if they would but learn them! One of the mightiest monarchs of antiquity was given to understand that "the heavens do rule." Being unwilling to acknowledge it, fearful disaster fell upon him. Ultimately the broken king was enabled to say: "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honour the King of Heaven, all whose works are truth, and His ways judgement, and those that walk in pride He is able to abase" (Dan. 4:37). The schemes of the haughty are speedily frustrated when God is pleased to act. Surely such a God is worthy of men's faith and prayers!

At last Moses is prepared to obey. His way is opened in peace to return to Egypt with the rod — now called "the rod of God" — in his hand. But while now clothed with authority he needed to know just exactly what he had to face. God would give him the words, but in spite of the words backed with mighty deeds, Pharaoh would resist and God would harden his heart. Here we might read Exodus 9:16, which is quoted in Romans 9:17. This Pharaoh, whatever his name may have been as recorded in secular history, was evidently brought to the throne in some unusual way by the over-ruling hand of God, and had already pitted himself against the Almighty in such a way that the moment had now come for him to be abased in signal fashion. God would now harden his heart and thus seal his doom. We are to see in him what presently was seen in Nebuchadnezzar, "those that walk in pride He is able to abase" (Dan. 4:37).