My Notes
What Does Psalms 78:18 Mean?
The psalmist describes Israel's wilderness sin with surgical precision: "they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust." Three layers of sin are nested in one sentence. First, they tempted God — testing Him, demanding proof of His power. Second, the testing was in their heart — not just external complaint but internal rebellion. Third, the specific demand was meat, driven by lust — desire, craving, appetite.
The word "lust" (nephesh, often translated "soul" or "appetite") suggests that their request was driven by craving, not need. God had provided manna. They had food. What they wanted was different food — meat, the food of Egypt, the food of their former bondage. They craved what they'd left behind.
The phrase "tempted God in their heart" reveals that the sin preceded the words. Before they complained aloud, they had already rebelled internally. The outward demand for meat was the visible expression of an inward condition: dissatisfaction with God's provision and a craving for what God hadn't given.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What provision from God are you currently unsatisfied with? Is it genuine need or craving?
- 2.Have you ever craved something from a season of life you already left behind? What was that about?
- 3.How do you distinguish between legitimate needs and appetites dressed up as needs?
- 4.What does 'tempting God in your heart' look like in your daily life?
Devotional
They had food. God was feeding them daily with manna. And they complained — not because they were starving but because they wanted something different. They wanted meat. The food of Egypt. The taste of bondage.
This is one of the most psychologically honest verses in the Psalms. The problem wasn't need — it was want. God was providing, but not what they craved. And rather than adjusting their cravings to God's provision, they demanded God adjust His provision to their cravings.
The phrase "in their heart" is the key. The temptation didn't start with words — it started with an internal posture: God's provision isn't enough. I deserve more. I want what I left behind. By the time they opened their mouths to demand meat, the rebellion was already complete inside.
This pattern repeats in every life. God provides, and you crave something different. God gives manna, and you want meat. God offers daily bread, and you demand the menu from Egypt. The craving for what you left behind — the relationship, the habit, the lifestyle — feels like need, but it's actually lust. Want dressed up as necessity.
What 'meat' are you demanding when God has already given you manna? What provision are you rejecting because you're craving something from the life you already left?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Yea, they spoke against God,.... Not only thought ill of him, and tempted him in their hearts, but they expressed with…
And they tempted God in their heart - Exo 16:2. The heart was the source of the evil. They were not satisfied with what…
In these verses,
I. The psalmist observes the late rebukes of Providence that the people of Israel had been under, which…
by asking&c. By asking food for their appetite: a different word from that rendered lustin Psa 78:78. The allusion is…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture