What is the meaning of Psalm 78:37?

Their hearts were disloyal to Him

– “Their hearts were disloyal to Him” lays the blame not on outward mistakes but on the inner seat of will and affection.

– Psalm 78 is a historical rehearsal of Israel’s story, and v. 37 pinpoints why repeated miracles did not produce lasting obedience (see Psalm 78:32, 36).

– Scripture consistently treats the heart as the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23) and the place where true love for God must reside (Deuteronomy 6:5).

– When the heart strays, worship degrades into empty words (Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8).

– Bullet-point snapshot of disloyal hearts:

• forgetfulness of God’s works (Psalm 78:11)

• selective memory in trials (Numbers 14:2-4)

• inconsistent obedience that fades when pressure lifts (James 1:8)

– A divided heart grieves the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) and sets a person on the path of instability (James 4:8).

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and they were unfaithful to His covenant

– God had bound Israel to Himself at Sinai: “Now if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant…” (Exodus 19:5-6).

– To be “unfaithful” is more than breaking a rule—it is violating a sacred relationship (Hosea 6:7; Jeremiah 11:10).

– Covenant faithfulness required:

• single-hearted loyalty (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

• obedience to revealed commands (Exodus 24:7-8)

• teaching the next generation (Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Psalm 78:5-6)

– Israel’s refusal to trust God at Kadesh (Numbers 14:22-24) and the later idolatry of the northern kingdom (2 Kings 17:15) illustrate this unfaithfulness.

– Yet God remained faithful: “But He was compassionate; He forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them” (Psalm 78:38). His steadfast love upholds His covenant even when His people falter (2 Timothy 2:13; Psalm 103:17-18).

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summary

Psalm 78:37 exposes the root problem behind Israel’s recurrent failures: inner disloyalty that spills into covenant breach. God desires undivided hearts that cling to Him and walk in the obligations of His covenant. The verse warns against surface religiosity and calls believers to covenant faithfulness grounded in wholehearted love, trusting the God who remains faithful even when His people stumble.