Today's Daily Bread

SO THAT THEY MAY WORSHIP ME

Date : Thursday, January 15, 2026
Passage : Exodus 8:20~32
Keyverse : 20  
20
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the river and say to him, ’This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.
21
If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies; even the ground will be covered with them.
22
"’But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land.
23
I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow.’"
24
And the LORD did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies.
25
Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land."
26
But Moses said, "That would not be right. The sacrifices we offer the LORD our God would be detestable to the Egyptians. And if we offer sacrifices that are detestable in their eyes, will they not stone us?
27
We must take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, as he commands us."
28
Pharaoh said, "I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the LORD your God in the wilderness, but you must not go very far. Now pray for me."
29
Moses answered, "As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the LORD, and tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh and his officials and his people. Only let Pharaoh be sure that he does not act deceitfully again by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the LORD."
30
Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD,
31
and the LORD did what Moses asked. The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not a fly remained.
32
But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go.
Moses again reminded Pharaoh why the Lord wanted him to let the Israelites go: “so that they may worship me.” Then the Lord sent a plague of swarms of flies, so thick that even the ground was covered. This was the first plague that affected the Egyptian people but not the Israelites living among them. Pharaoh could not deny that these plagues were the Lord’s work on behalf of his own people.

Pharaoh tried to compromise, offering to let the people sacrifice in the land of Egypt (25). It shows that Pharaoh’s heart was not humbled before God; he was still trying to have it his own way. But it is God who decides how he is to be worshiped. Pharaoh then seemed to agree to the Lord’s demand of a three-day journey to the wilderness, but once again, he hardened his heart after the plague was lifted (32).

God is seeking people to worship him; to do so is the true fulfillment of our life purpose. Jesus taught that the only way to worship God is in spirit and in truth, leaving behind our worship of earthly things (Jn 4:23). There is nothing we can substitute for that. Prayer: Father, thank you for calling us out of the world to worship you. Continue to teach me to worship you in spirit and truth.
One Word: The Lord seeks worshipers