Deuteronomy 31:19-23: a reflection

19“Now therefore write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel. 20For when I have brought them into the land which I swore to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they have eaten and filled themselves, and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods, and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant. 21It will happen, when many evils and troubles have come on them, that this song will testify before them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten out of the mouths of their descendants; for I know their ways and what they are doing today, before I have brought them into the land which I promised them.” 22So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel. 23He commissioned Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and courageous; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore to them. I will be with you.”

As Moses nears the end, God tells him something sobering about Israel's future. When I have brought them into the land, God says, and they have eaten and filled themselves, and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods, and serve them, and despise me. God foresees that their very prosperity will lead them astray: once they are full and comfortable in the good land, they will forget the God who gave it, turning to other gods. Prosperity, not adversity, would be the occasion of their turning away.

Notice what God foresees as the danger: prosperity leading to forgetting him. It was not in their hardship, their wilderness need, that God foresaw them turning away; it was when they had grown full and comfortable, fat with prosperity in the good land. Prosperity, comfort, having enough and more, would be the occasion of their forgetting God, turning to other things. The very blessings God gave would become the occasion of forgetting the Giver. It is a sobering truth: that prosperity can lead the heart away from God more surely than adversity.

That is worth taking to heart, for prosperity can lead us to forget God as surely as it led Israel. We can cling to God in hardship and need; but when we grow comfortable, full, prosperous, we can forget the God who gave us our good things, our hearts drawn away by the very blessings we enjoy. Prosperity has its own danger, the danger of forgetting God in our comfort. Beware, in your prosperity and comfort, the danger of forgetting God; do not let your good things draw your heart away from the Giver, as God foresaw Israel would forget him once they were full and fat in the land. When you are comfortable and have enough, take special care to remember God, lest prosperity lead you to forget him, as it led Israel; for the heart can be drawn from God by comfort more surely than by hardship, and prosperity calls for watchfulness against forgetting the God who gave it.

Lord, as Moses nears the end, you tell him something sobering about Israel's future. When I have brought them into the land, you say, and they have eaten and filled themselves, and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods, and serve them, and despise me. You foresee that their very prosperity will lead them astray: once they are full and comfortable in the good land, they will forget the God who gave it. Prosperity, not adversity, would be the occasion of their turning away. Show me what you foresee as the danger: prosperity leading to forgetting you. It was not in their hardship that you foresaw them turning away; it was when they had grown full and comfortable, fat with prosperity. The very blessings you gave would become the occasion of forgetting the Giver. It is a sobering truth: that prosperity can lead the heart away from you more surely than adversity. Take that to my heart, for prosperity can lead me to forget you as surely as it led Israel. I can cling to you in hardship and need; but when I grow comfortable, full, prosperous, I can forget the God who gave me my good things, my heart drawn away by the very blessings I enjoy. Keep me watchful, in my prosperity and comfort, of the danger of forgetting you; keep my good things from drawing my heart away from the Giver, Lord. When I am comfortable and have enough, help me take special care to remember you, lest prosperity lead me to forget you, as it led Israel.