The phrase “full and fat” is used in Deuteronomy 31:20 to describe the prosperous but spiritually complacent state of the Israelites after they had settled in the promised land. In the verse, God says to Moses:
“For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant.” (Deuteronomy 31:20)
There are a few important things to understand about this description:
1. It refers to the blessings of prosperity and abundance
The promised land was described as “flowing with milk and honey” – an idiom meaning it was abundantly fertile and prosperous (Exodus 3:8). When the Israelites finally inhabited it after their wilderness wanderings, they enjoyed great natural abundance and were blessed with material plenty. To be “full and fat” speaks of being satiated, well-fed, and enjoying the blessings of the land.
2. It indicates complacency and lack of vigilance
However, this comfortable prosperity bred complacency and spiritual apathy. It dulled their sense of reliance on God and opened them up to the temptation of idolatry. Like Jeshurun who “grew fat and kicked” (Deuteronomy 32:15), the satisfied Israelites grew undisciplined and unrestrained without hardship to refine them. Their full stomachs and robust health led them to feel self-reliant rather than dependent on God.
3. It shows ingratitude for God’s provision
The sad irony is that it was God who provided the Israelites with this prosperous land flowing with milk and honey. But rather than responding with gratitude and obedience, their prosperity led them into idolatry and spiritual adultery. Their hearts turned away from God even as they enjoyed the very blessings He poured out on them.
4. It warns against the spiritual dangers of wealth and comfort
On a practical level, this verse holds a warning about the spiritual complacency that often accompanies seasons of prosperity. When life is easy, it’s tempting to feel self-satisfied and independent from God. Prosperity can make people “full” in more ways than one! God’s provision must lead us into greater thanksgiving and reliance on Him rather than drifting from Him.
5. It contrasts external prosperity with internal emptiness
There is a sad irony in the fact that the Israelites were externally “full” yet spiritually empty. Outwardly they were fat, but inwardly they were malnourished and underfed in terms of their relationship with God. In their satisfaction with their own prosperity, they neglected their souls. In reality, they were impoverished and wretched without God (Revelation 3:17).
So in summary, when Moses predicts that the Israelites will become “full and fat”, this does not paint a flattering picture. It is not a description of health and blessing, but rather of spiritual complacency, ingratitude, and impending judgment if they forget the Lord in their satisfaction.
As God’s people today, we must remember that seasons of prosperity and relative ease are often the times we are most vulnerable to drift from reliance on God. We must actively fight spiritual complacency by cultivating gratitude, generosity, and attentiveness to God’s Word. Our souls need nourishing even when our bodies feel satisfied. We must remember that true fullness comes from feeding on Christ, not merely on earthly comforts.
6. Historical examples of the “full and fat” mindset in Israel’s history
There are several examples in Israel’s history that illustrate this tendency toward spiritual complacency in times of prosperity:
The era of the judges
The book of Judges depicts cycles of disobedience starting with prosperity and comfort. For example, “The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord…they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons…And they served the Baals.” (Judges 3:7-8). Their comfortable intermarriage led to idolatry.
The divided kingdom
After Solomon’s death, Scripture says, “when Rehoboam had established himself, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.” (2 Chronicles 12:1). In their “establishment”, they grew complacent.
The exilic period
During the time of the prophets, despite the warnings, Israel repeatedly turned from God to idols. “According to their [own] pasture, so were they filled. They were filled, and their heart was lifted up; therefore they forgot me.” (Hosea 13:6)
Intertestamental Judaism
By Jesus’ time, ritual observance and comfort in national identity and tradition had replaced true obedience. The Pharisees were lovers of money (Luke 16:14), trusting in their own righteousness (Luke 18:9), and neglecting justice and mercy (Matthew 23:23).
Each of these eras shows how seasons of comfort and establishment led to tragic spiritual decline in Israel’s history. It remains a constant danger for God’s people in every age.
7. Contrasts with times of dependence, revival, and seeking God
In contrast to times of complacency, Scripture also records seasons when Israel desperately sought the Lord and relied fully on Him. In their hunger and poverty, they turned back to Him:
Wilderness wanderings
In the sparse wilderness, Israel was humbled and dependent, forced to rely on God for daily manna and water. God intended this to “test what was in [their] heart” and teach them reliance on Him. (Deuteronomy 8:2)
Times of oppression
When Israel’s sin subjected them to harsh foreign oppressors, “the sons of Israel cried to the Lord” in their distress (Judges 3:9) and turned back to Him.
Exile and post-exilic period
Painful judgments awakened repentance and revival. In the desperation of exile, Israel turned back to God (Nehemiah 1:8-9). Post-exile, they relearned obedience to the Torah.
In each case, discomfort, poverty, oppression, and emptiness drove Israel back into greater dependence and obedience. Hardship cultivated repentance and revival in a way prosperity and comfort failed to do.
8. A warning for God’s people today
This principle remains crucially important today. As in ancient Israel, times of prosperity and comfort often bring a subtle drifting from zealous obedience to complacent spirituality. Success, wealth, and earthly security tempt God’s people still to gauge ourselves by worldly metrics of abundance, comfort and satiety.
We must cultivate vigilance, resisting the siren call of the world to evaluate ourselves by its standards. Our true barometer must remain fidelity to Christ and His words, not the shifting measuring sticks of culture. We must cling to Him tenaciously, even when – especially when – life seems easy and prosperous.
Times of ease are often the hardest times to follow Jesus faithfully and remain spiritually sharp. We must pray for self-awareness, repenting when prosperity breeds self-reliance rather than reliance on God. We must nurture gratitude and generosity to battle insidious complacency. And we must cling to the unchanging truth of God’s Word, not measuring ourselves by the world’s markers of “success.”
As cultural Christianity grows increasingly “full and fat”, enriched by social approval, political influence, and community status, we must check our hearts. Our true spiritual state is measured not by worldly approval and earthly comforts, but by our secret devotion to Christ and humble obedience to Him. May God grant His people repentance, recalibrating our hearts to seek Him alone in every season of life.
9. Key principles
- Seasons of prosperity and comfort often breed spiritual apathy and self-reliance.
- Outward blessings can disguise inward spiritual poverty.
- God’s people must guard against complacency in times of ease.
- Cultivating gratitude and generosity can help battle drifting.
- God sometimes uses hardship to refine and revive His people.
- True spiritual fullness comes from feeding on Christ, not earthly comforts.
- Fidelity to God’s Word must remain our barometer, not the world’s metrics.
- Following Christ faithfully often requires swimming against cultural tides.
- Vigilance and repentance are key to avoiding drift in seasons of prosperity.
10. Conclusion
The description of the Israelites as “full and fat” serves as a serious warning against the spiritual dangers of prosperity, comfort, and establishment. Throughout Scripture, God’s people have struggled to remain faithful and reliant on God in seasons of earthly blessing. Complacency and drift often follow comfort and satiety.
As beneficiaries of great prosperity, believers today must examine their hearts. Do we rely fully on Christ when life seems easy? Or do earthly blessings subtly draw our loyalty away from Him? Times of ease require greater vigilance and attentiveness to nourish our souls on Scripture.
May we cling closely to Jesus, resisting cultural tides that contradict His words. May seasons of earthly plenty only remind us of our desperate need for eternal nourishment. And may we measure ourselves only by God’s definitions of spiritual health, not the world’s definitions of physical security and satiety.