Deu 32:15-18 “But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked; you grew fat, stout, and sleek; then he forsook God who made him and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation. They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked him to anger. They sacrificed to demons that were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come recently, whom your fathers had never dreaded. You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth.
Psalms 73:7 Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.
Psalms 119:70 their heart is unfeeling like fat, but I delight in your law.
Isaiah 6:10 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
Romans 2:4-5 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
Here are two instances of the wickedness of Israel, each was apostacy from God. These people were called Jeshurun, an upright people, so some; a seeing people, so others: but they soon lost the reputation both of their knowledge and of their righteousness. They indulged their appetites, as if they had nothing to do but to make provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts of it. Those who make a god of themselves, and a god of their bellies, in pride and wantonness, and cannot bear to be told of it, thereby forsake God, and show they esteem him lightly. There is but one way of a sinner’s acceptance and sanctification, however different modes of irreligion, or false religion, may show that favourable regard for other ways, which is often miscalled candid. How mad are idolaters, who forsake the Rock of salvation, to run themselves upon the rock of perdition! (Henry)
There is a shocking contrast between the generous blessings of God in 32:7-14 and the ungrateful rebellion in 32:15-18. “In all her well-being Israel forsook God her Creator and the ground of her salvation. ‘A full stomach does not promote piety, for it stands secure and neglects God’ (Luther).”
“Many can endure the trials of adversity who cannot escape the perils of prosperity…. many a man has failed in that time of testing. When you come to be wealthy, to be admired, to receive honour among men, then is the time of your severest trial.” (Spurgeon)
As Israel forsook God and honored idols, their devotion was not directed to merely imaginary beings, beings that did not actually exist. There were demons behind the foreign gods. Their idolatry was worse than useless; it gave honor to demonic spirits. There was a dark spiritual reality behind the idols of the nations, and Israel embraced that dark spiritual reality. (Guzik)
God’s blessings are certainly undeserved but given to us out of His great grace, mercy, and love. They should not drive us away from Him, but rather, draw us closer. Examine your heart through His Word and you will find His holiness and your sinfulness. It is then you will begin to understand how great His grace, mercy, and love are, and how unworthy of it we are. In this realization, we learn humbleness, thankfulness, repentance, and desire to follow, obey, trust, and rely on Him.