Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; you grew fat, you grew thick, you are obese! Then he forsook God who made him, and scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation. (Deuteronomy 32:15)
There are two important points being made in this very brief statement. First of all, referring to Israel as Jeshurun (the first time the Scripture does so), Moses acknowledged the beloved status of Israel as well as the lofty call upon the people of God. In the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures) this name is translated as “beloved one” which they most certainly were. In Hebrew, Jeshurun is derived from the root ישר yashar which means to be “upright” or “straightforward.” This same root is linked to the name Israel (Yisrael), or as some commentators conclude, ישראל yashar el — “straightforward before God.” In other words, the beloved of God, Israel, were called to walk upright and in obedience to their Creator.
This part of the song also reveals something very interesting and a bit ironic — the blessing of prosperity that comes with obedience can prove to be a weakness for God’s people. The more prosperous we become increases the possibility that we will become less attentive to our spiritual responsibility, hence the statement, “But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked…and he forsook God who made him.” According to Moses, the upright one became puffed up because of their prosperity and fell away from God.
Obviously, men have not changed much — prosperity still has the ability to provoke spiritual obesity which causes us to become spiritually lethargic. In time, we become so accustomed to the blessing that we forget about the source of the blessing — we turn into those who feel entitled to prosperity thus taking the Bestower of blessing for granted. Consequently, God will withhold the blessing of prosperity to remind us just who the source for all things good actually is. And so, today, let us pause and consider that every good thing comes from above and the prosperity we enjoy is given to us by His Hand. In short, let us not forsake our God but highly esteem and forever exalt the Rock of our salvation.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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