God patiently deals with the Israelites.
God shows love by being patient. Love is patient. God is love. He is patient with His children.
He has forgiven their grievous sin of making gods for themselves. He continues to feed them miracle bread and give them water for their thirst.
God doesn’t get revenge for their sin against Him. He continues to care for them as a good parent.
God shows His love by being a good father to His children, meeting their needs.
He takes them to the land of promise and tells them to take possession of it, but they refuse to obey. They rebel.
God is gracious and merciful toward them and abounding in lovingkindness.
He doesn’t forsake Israel. Many will die along the way because of their own choice of rebellion and sin and justice needing to be served. But, God would have been just in killing them all. He doesn’t. He remains faithful to His word to Abraham. He shows mercy and retains a remnant.
God shows love to the remnant. Their clothing never wears out. Their feet never swell in all their wandering. God was always caring for them and providing for them.
The remnant enters into the promised land. God has multiplied their children. He gives kingdoms and nations into the hands of the Israelites and they take possession of cities, lands, houses full of goods, all sorts of provision such as fruit trees, olive groves, and wells.
They delight themselves on God’s goodness by feasting on all the goodness of the land and grow fat.
God’s children have to take possession of the land, but God hands it to them. God fights for them. There are long days, but only victories when they are looking to God as their Savior.
But then they grow fat.
They are letting their bellies be their gods. They stop looking to the Lord because there was no enemy attacking. They had what satisfied them. They were satisfied in something other than God.
David would sing, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” They found their delight in fleshly pleasures to their own detriment.