The Word for Today with Ray

Thursday, April 30, 2026

The Twelve Men Called - Joshua 4:4

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spoke unto Joshua, saying, take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, And command you them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and you shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where you shall lodge this night”, and in chapter four and verse four of the book of Joshua, we see how, “Joshua called the twelve men” where we read,

Then Joshua called the twelve men,

whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:

The verse reads, “Then Joshua called the twelve men, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “then Joshua” which means “at that time Joshua whose name means Jehovah is salvation” “called the twelve men” or “summoned , commissioned and appointed the twelve male human beings”. At that time “Joshua” summoned the “twelve men” in keeping with the following.

The verse goes on to say, “… whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:” Joshua continued with the words, “whom he had prepared” or “that he, Joshua, made firm, stable and established” “of the children of Israel” which means “pertaining to the offspring and progeny belonging to Israel whose name means God prevails and is the name of the descendants and the nation of descendants of Jacob”, “out of every tribe a man” or “a male human being from each, the whole and everyone of the clans”. We learn how these “twelve men” belonging to the offspring of “Israel” and from each of the clans were established by “Joshua”.

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn how “Joshua” obeyed Jehovah God’s charge to summon the “twelve men” from the offspring of Israel which included choosing one “man” from each of the clans to establish them. These men would be used to set up a memorial of what God did for the people of Israel when He dried up the “Jordan” river so all the people of Israel could cross it. God promised the people of Israel that they would enter the promise land, and we are seeing the fulfillment of that promise through “Joshua” and the people of Israel. God has given us a promise that He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and provide us with His Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth when we submit to His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was resurrected from the dead after three days. Let all who read these words yield to Jesus and allow God to choose them to exist and work in His Kingdom.

Next time we see how Joshua told the twelve men, “pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".

Twelve Stones from Jordan - Joshua 4:3

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spoke unto Joshua, saying, take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man”, and in chapter four and verse three of the book of Joshua, Joshua told the twelve men, “take out of the midst of Jordan … twelve stones” where we read,

And command you them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and you shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where you shall lodge this night.

The verse reads, “And command you them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and command you them” which means “and order and charge you, Joshua, them, the twelve men from the clans of Israel”, “saying” or “uttering, declaring and proclaiming”, “take you hence” which means “lift up and carry you, the twelve men from the clans of Israel, from this location” “out of the midst of Jordan” or “from the middle of the Jordan river whose name means descender and was the river of Palestine running from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the Dead Sea a distance of approximately 200 miles (320 km)”, “out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm” which means “from the location in which the spiritual leaders, chiefs and officials’ physical feet were standing stable and established”. Jehovah God told Joshua to order the twelve men from the clans of Israel to lift up and carry the following from the middle of the “Jordan” river where the “priests” were standing upon their feet.

The verse continues, “twelve stones, and you shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where you shall lodge this night.” Joshua added the words, “twelve stones” or “twelve large rocks”, “and you shall carry them” which means “and you, the twelve me, are to march and take them, the twelve stones” “over with you” or “across the river alongside you, the twelve men”, “And leave them” which means “and settle, rest or set them, the twelve stones, down” “in the lodging place” or “within the caravanserai or encampment location”, “where you shall lodge this night” which means “in which you, the twelve men, will have rest and repose upon this very nighttime”. Joshua was to tell the “twelve men” to take the “twelve stones” across the river with them, and they were to let them rest within the encampment in which they would settle down to rest that very nighttime.

When we think through the words in this verse, we learn how Jehovah God instructed Joshua to order the “twelve men” chosen from the “twelve tribes” of Israel to lift up and take up “twelve stones” from the middle of the “Jordan” river where the “priests” were standing in place. They were to take those “stones” to the other side of the “Jordan” and lay them down in the location of the encampment where they would spend that very nighttime. These “stones” were to become a memorial for the people of Israel, and they would serve as a reminder of Jehovah God’s work among them. God desires to have a personal relationship with us through His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was a raised from the dead after three days. When we surrender our lives to Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and equip us with His Holy Spirit who will lead and guide us into God’s truth and cause us to remember all that He has done for us.

Next time we see how, “Joshua called the twelve men”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Take Twelve Men Out of the People - Joshua 4:2

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spoke unto Joshua, saying, ..”, and in chapter four and verse two of the book of Joshua, we learn how Jehovah God told Joshua, “take you twelve men out of the people” where we read,

Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,

The verse reads, “Take you twelve men out of the people, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “take you twelve men” which means “seize, lay hold of and acquire” “out of the people” or “from the human beings or the children of Israel”. Jehovah God instructed Joshua to choose “twelve male human beings” from the “people” of Israel according to the following.

The verse goes on to say, “… out of every tribe a man, …” Joshua continued with the words, “out of every tribe” or “from each, all and everyone of the families or clans” “a man” which means “a male human being”. Jehovah God told Joshua to choose a male human being from each of the clans of Israel.

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn how Jehovah God instructed Joshua to have the people of Israel choose one “man” from each of their clans. We shall see what these men are to do in our next verses, however, let us continue to be reminded that God had a plan, and He was working it out. He does the same for us. He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of everyone, and when He raised Him from the dead after three days, He made the way through faith and trust in Him to be forgiven of our sins, granted everlasting life and equipped with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and help us trust Him with every step of the plan He is working out in our lives.

Next time we see Jehovah God tell Joshua to tell the twelve men, “take out of the midst of Jordan … twelve stones”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

When the People Passed Over Jordan - Joshua 4:1

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overflows all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan”, and in chapter four and verse one of the book of Joshua, we begin to learn what happened, “when all the people were clean passed over Jordan” where we read,

And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan,

that the LORD spoke unto Joshua, saying,

The verse reads, “And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and it came to pass” which means “and the following happened and occurred”, “when all the people” or “at the time and moment that each, every, the whole and everyone of the human beings or the children of Israel” “were clean passed” which means “had completely and entirely crossed” “over Jordan” or “over the Jordan river whose name means descender and was the river of Palestine running from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the Dead Sea a distance of approximately 200 miles (320 km)”. Joshua or the writer referred to the time and moment that every one of the people of Israel had crossed the river “Jordan”.

The verse continues, “… that the LORD spoke unto Joshua, saying, …” Joshua or the writer added with the words, “that the LORD” or “that Jehovah whose name means ‘the existing One’ and is the proper name for the One True God” “spoke unto Joshua” which means “uttered, declared and proclaimed to Joshua whose name means Jehovah is salvation”, “saying” or “uttering, declared and proclaiming” the words in our next verse. Joshua or the writer shared how Jehovah God made a declaration to Joshua after the people of Israel had crossed over the river Jordan.

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn not only how every one of the people of Israel crossed over the river “Jordan”, but also that Jehovah God began to talk with “Joshua” once again. God was involved in this process, and step by step the people of Israel were bound for the promise land. God wants to be involved in our lives as well, and when we put our faith and trust in His Son Jesus who was crucified on the cross for the sins of all mankind and raised from the dead after three days, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put His Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth and empower us to live by that truth as we fulfill His will and purpose for us in the world. (See John 16:13; Acts 1:8)

Next time we see Jehovah God tell Joshua, “take you twelve men out of the people”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Priest Standing Firm on Dry Ground - Joshua 3:17

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overflows all his banks all the time of harvest,) That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho”, and in chapter three and verse seventeen of the book of Joshua, we learn how, “the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan” where we read,

And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.

The verse reads, “And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and the priests” which means “and the spiritual leaders, chiefs and officials” “that bare the ark” or “who lifted up and carried the box or chest” “of the covenant” which means “pertaining to the alliance, pledge and agreement” “of the LORD” or “belonging to Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God” “stood firm on dry ground” which means “made a stand and remained upon land that was arid and dry” “in the midst of Jordan” or “within the middle of the Jordan whose name means descender and was the river of Palestine running from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the Dead Sea a distance of approximately 200 miles (320 km)”. Joshua or the writer shared how the spiritual leaders who lifted up and carried Jehovah God’s “ark of the covenant” remained standing upon land that was arid and dry within the middle of the “Jordan” river.

The verse goes on to say, “… and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.” Joshua continued with with the words, “and all the Israelites” or “and each, every, the whole and everyone of the Israelites whose name means God prevails and was the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob” “passed over” which means “traversed and crossed” “on dry ground” or “upon the land in the middle of the river that was dry”, “until all the people” which means “till each, every and the whole amount of the human beings of Israel” “were passed clean over” or “were crossed completely over” “Jordan” whose name means “descender” and was the river of Palestine running from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the Dead Sea a distance of approximately 200 miles (320 km). Joshua or the writer said every one of the people of Israel completely crossed the “Jordan” river on the land that was dry.

When we think through the words in this verse, we learn how Jehovah God was working on behalf of the people of Israel. The land beneath the “waters” of the Jordan river were “dry”, and every one of the people of Israel crossed upon the ground and entered the promise land. God’s provision was miraculous, and He did these things in a demonstrative display of His provision and protection for His people. God wants the same type of relationship with us through His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind, and when He raised Him from the dead after three days, He made the way through faith and trust in Him to be forgiven of our sins, granted everlasting life and provided with His Holy Spirit who will lead, guide and perform marvelous works in our lives as we live with a purpose and resolve to serve Him.

Next time we begin a new chapter and see what happened, “when all the people were clean passed over Jordan”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Waters Rising Up as a Heap - Joshua 3:16

That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.

The verse reads, “That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan:” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “that the waters” which means “that the flowing waters” “which came down from above” or “that descended from the higher part and upper ground” “stood and rose up” which means “took a stand and arose” “upon an heap” or “on a pile or mound” “very far from the city Adam” which means “exceedingly distant and extended separate and apart from the place of waking, guarded place and town belonging to Adam whose name means red”, “that is beside Zairean” or “that exists alongside Zairean whose name means their distress which is a place in the Jordan valley where the river parted for Israel to pass over for the conquest of Canaan”. Joshua or the writer shared how the “waters” within the Jordan river that descended from the upper region arose like a mound exceedingly distant from the town known as “Adam” which is next to “Zairean”.

The verse continues, “and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.” Joshua added with the words, “and those that came down” or “and the waters that descended” “toward the seas” which means “in the direction of the great bodies of water” “of the plain” or “belonging to the desert wilderness”, “even the salt sea” which means “indeed and also the pulverized and dissolved salty large body of water”, “failed” or “were completed and come to an end”, “and were cut off” which means “and were eliminated and taken away”: “and the people passed over” or “and the human beings from Israel crossed” “right against Jericho” which means “straight forward and in front of Jericho whose name means its moon and was a city five miles (8 km) west of the Jordan and seven miles (11.5 km) north of the Dead Sea and the first city conquered by the Israelites upon entering the promised land of Canaan”. Joshua or the writer shared how the waters from the “Jordan” river descended to the great body of waters of the desert wilderness which is known as the pulverized salty large body of water, or the Dead Sea, came to an end and were taken away, and the “people of Israel” straightforwardly crossed beside “Jericho”.

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn how the “waters” within the Jordan river were halted in mounds on both sides so the people of Israel could cross over to the promise land. God’s plan step by step was coming to pass, and when He gives instructions, those to whom He gives them do best when they obey. God sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind, and He raised Him from the dead after three days so when we put our faith and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and give us His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and direct us according to His perfect will and purpose for our lives.

Next time we learn how, “the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Priests Dipping in the Water - Joshua 3:15

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people”, and in chapter three and verse fifteen of the book of Joshua, we learn how, “the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water” where we read,

And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overflows all his banks all the time of harvest,)

The verse reads, “And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and as they that bare the ark” which means “and at the time they, the priests, who lifted up and carried the box or chest” “were come unto Jordan” or “arrived at the Jordan whose name means descender and was the river of Palestine running from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the Dead Sea a distance of approximately 200 miles (320 km)”, “and the feet of the priests” which means “and the physical feet belonging to the spiritual leaders, rulers, chiefs and officers” “that bare the ark” or “who lifted up and carried the box or chest” “were dipped in the brim of the water” which means “were plunged and immersed within the border and outskirts pertaining to the flowing waters of the Jordan river”. Joshua or the writer shared at the time the “priests” who lifted up and carried the “ark of the covenant” had arrived at Jordan river and their physical feet were immersed within the border of the “water”, the following occurred.

The verse goes on to say, “(for Jordan overflows all his banks all the time of harvest,)” Joshua continued with the words, “(for Jordan” or “because, since and on account that Jordan whose name means descender and was the river of Palestine running from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the Dead Sea a distance of approximately 200 miles (320 km)” “overflows all his banks” which means “is filled and replenished within each, every and everyone of his, the Jordan river’s borders and edges” “all the time of harvest)” or “each, every and the whole time period or season pertaining to reaping”. Joshua or the writer parenthetically shared how the “Jordan” river over fills each and every one of it’s borders during the season of reaping.

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn how the priest who were carrying the “ark of the covenant” arrived at the border of the Jordan river, immersed their feet within the “water” at the edge and did what we shall see in our next verse. The “banks” of Jordan river were “overflowing” with water at the season of the reaping, and if we use our imaginations, we can see the “priests with their feet in the water”. God’s plan was coming together, and He also has a plan for the salvation for every person who yields their life to His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was raised from the dead after three days. When we submit to Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and equip us with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and help us know when to go and what to do there.

Next time we learn how, “the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…