The Word for Today with Ray

Tuesday, May 26, 2026

We are Your Servants - Joshua 9:8

In the book of Joshua, we are learned how, “the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure you dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?”, and in chapter nine and verse eight of the book of Joshua, we learn how the men of Gibeon, “said unto Joshua, We are your servants” where we read,

And they said unto Joshua, We are your servants.

And Joshua said unto them, Who are you? and from where do you come?

The verse reads, “And they said unto Joshua, We are your servants.” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and they said unto Joshua” which means “and they, the Hivites, uttered, declared and proclaimed to Joshua whose name means Jehovah is salvation”, “we are your servants” or “we, the Hivites, exist as your, the people of Israel’s, men of servile condition, slaves or bondmen”. Joshua or the writer shared how the “Hivites” told “Joshua” that they existed as the people of “Israel’s” bondmen or men of servile condition.

The verse goes on to say, “And Joshua said unto them, Who are you? and from where do you come?” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “and Joshua” whose name means “Jehovah is salvation” “said unto them” or “uttered, declared and proclaimed to them, the Hivites”, “who are you” which means “what people do you, Hivites, exist as”? “and from where do you come” or “and from what place or location do you, the Hivites, enter and approach”? Joshua or the writer shared how “Joshua” asked the “Hivites” who they were and from what location they came.

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn how the “Hivites” told “Joshua” that they were the people of Israel’s bondservants which caused him to ask them who they were and from where they came. Joshua investigated these deceptive people and their attempt to save themselves, however, he did not ask for Jehovah God’s words concerning them. God wants people to call upon Him, and when we realize He gave His Son Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and raised Him from the dead after three days, we may be forgiven of our sins, granted everlasting life and equipped with His Holy Spirit as we put our trust and faith in Him as our personal “Savior and Lord”. Regardless of who comes into our lives, let us learn this lesson, go to God first before we commit to “make an alliance” with anyone.

Next time we learn how the men of Gibeon, “said unto him, From a very far country your servants are come because of the name of the LORD your God”, 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".

Peradventure You Dwell Among Us - Joshua 9:7

In the book of Joshua, we are learning what happened, “when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, they did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up. And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy. And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make you a league with us”, and in chapter nine and verse seven of the book of Joshua, we learn how “the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure you dwell among us” where we read,

And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure you dwell among us;

and how shall we make a league with you?

The verse reads, “And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure you dwell among us;” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and the men of Israel” which means “and the male human beings belonging to Israel whose name means God prevails and is the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob” “said unto the Hivites” or “uttered, declared and proclaimed to the Hivites whose name means villagers and was the sixth generation of descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham, who were living in northern Canaan near Mount Hermon at the time of the conquest”, “peradventure” which means “unless, perhaps and suppose” “you dwell among us” or “you, the Hivites, remain, abide, continue and live in the midst and middle of us, the people of Israel”. Joshua or the writer shared how the male human being of Israel responded to the “Hivites” by suggesting the possibility of them living in the midst of them.

The verse continues, “and how shall we make a league with you?” Joshua or the writer added the words, “and how shall we” which means “and in what way will we, the men of Israel” “make a league with you” or “cut and cause an alliance, treaty, pledge and covenant with you, the Hivites”? Joshua or the writer shared how the men of Israel questioned the “Hivites” as to what way they could cause a “treaty or covenant” to be established with them.

When we think through the words in this verse, we learn how the “men of Israel” began to reason with the “Hivites” as they surmised that they could live in their midst. They wondered how they could form a “covenant” with the “Hivites”, and we shall discover their solution in our next verses. Once again, the people of Israel did not pray and seek God’s face for this situation. God wants us to appeal to Him for every situation in our lives, and when we receive His Son Jesus who was crucified on the cross for the sins of all mankind and raised from the dead after three days as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put His Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth and help us to remember to call upon Him in every situation and circumstance we encounter.

Next time we learn how the men of Gibeon, “said unto Joshua, We are your servants”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Going to Joshua at the Camp at Gilgal - Joshua 9:6

In the book of Joshua, we are learning what happened, “when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, they did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up. And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy”, and in chapter nine and verse six of the book of Joshua, we learn how the people of Gibeon, “went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal” where we read,

And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel,

We be come from a far country: now therefore make you a league with us.

The verse reads, “And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and they went to Joshua” which means “and they, the envoys of Gibeon, left and departed toward Joshua whose name means Jehovah is salvation” “unto the camp” or “to the encampment” “of Gilgal” which means “belonging to Gilgal whose name means a wheel or rolling and was the first site of an Israelite camp west of the Jordan, east of Jericho, here Samuel was judge, and Saul was made king; later used for illicit worship”, “and said unto him” or “and uttered, declared and proclaimed to him, Joshua” “and to the men of Israel” which means “and toward the male human beings belonging to Israel whose name means God prevails and is the name of the descendants or nation of the descendants of Jacob” the following words. Joshua or the writer shared how the envoys of “Gibeon” departed to the encampment of “Israel” where “Joshua” was located and proclaimed the following words to him and the people of “Israel”.

The verse goes on to say, “we be come from a far country: now therefore make you a league with us.” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “we be come” which means “we, the envoys belonging to Gibeon, are entering and arriving” “from a far country” or “separate and apart from a remote, distant and abroad territory, district and region”: “now therefore” which means “at this time wherefore, then and on this account” “make you a league with us” or “cut and cause you, Joshua and the people of Israel, an alliance, treaty, pledge and covenant with us, the people of Gibeon”. Joshua or the writer shared how the envoys from “Gibeon” told “Joshua and the people of Israel” that they had arrived from a territory that was a great distance away, and for this reason they desired that Joshua and the people of Israel cause an alliance and agreement to be formed between them.

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn how the envoys from “Gibeon” turned from their visual deception to verbal deception. They traveled to the encampment of Israel where they encountered “Joshua and the people of Israel”. They told “Joshua and the people of Israel” that had arrived from a distant territory, and for this reason, “Joshua and the people of Israel” should fashion an alliance or covenant with them. We shall see how “Joshua and the people of Israel” respond in our next verses, but for now let us consider that this is a type of our enemy, Satan’s, way to deceive us. First, he makes an appearance that seems a particular way, and then he begins to lie about it. God wants us to know that He is aware of our enemy’s ploys, (See James 4:7) and because He loves us, He sent His Son Jesus into the world to be crucified on the cross for the sins of all mankind and raised Him from the dead after three days. When we put our faith and trust in Him as our personal “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 provide the wisdom to know how to manage the evil solicitations of others.

Next time we learn how, “the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure you dwell among us”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Old Shoes and Garments - Joshua 9:5

And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them;

and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy.

The verse reads, “And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them;” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and old shoes” which means “and aged, dry shod and worn out sandals” “and clouted upon their feet” or “and patched or spotted on their physical feet”, “and old garments upon them” which means “and aged or worn out outer clothing, raiment, wrappers or mantle on them, the people of Gibeon”. Joshua or the writer shared how the people of Gibeon also wore worn out sandals and clothing.

The verse continues, “and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy.” Joshua or the writer added the words, “and all the bread” which means “and each, every and the whole food and grain” “of their provision” or “pertaining to their, the people of Gibeon’s, meat, victuals or food” “was dry and moldy” which means “existed as dried up, withered, without moisture and cracknel, crumbled and pricked with mold”. Joshua or the writer shared how the people of “Gibeon” also carried food for their victuals that was withered and pricked with mold and crumbling.

When we consider the words in this verse, we discover how the people of “Gibeon” also wore “shoes and clothes” that were worn out, and they carried food with them that was filled with mold and crumbling. This again was a deceptive practice by the people of “Gibeon” because they were afraid of being annihilated by the people of Israel. This again is a testimony of the awesome provision of God Almighty on behalf of the people of Israel. God loves Israel, and He loves us as well. When He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and resurrected Him from the grave after three days, He made the way through faith and trust in Him for us to be forgiven of our sins, granted everlasting life and equipped with His Holy Spirit so we are guided into the truth and made aware of any attempt of our foes to deceive us.

Next time we learn how the people of Gibeon, “went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Gibeon Does Wilily - Joshua 9:4

In the book of Joshua, we are learning what happened, “when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, …”, and in chapter nine and verse four of the book of Joshua, we learn how the people of Gibeon, “did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors” where we read,

They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors,

and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;

The verse reads, “They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “they did work wilily” which means “they, the people of Gibeon, fashioned, produced and performed shrewdly, with craftiness and subtlety”, “and went and made” or “and acted” “as if they had been ambassadors” which means “like they, the people of Gibeon, were diplomats or envoys”. Joshua or the writer shared how the people from “Gibeon” acted in a subtle manner and fashioned themselves as though they were envoys or diplomats.

The verse goes on to say, “… and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “and took old sacks” which means “and took in hand, acquired or carried worn out mesh or sackcloth for grain” “upon their asses” or “on their donkeys”, “and wine bottles” which means “and leather skin bags used for holding the fruit of the vine”, “old” or “aged and worn out”, “and rent” which means “and broken through or torn”, “and bound up” or “and in distress, besieged and bound or tied up”. Joshua or the writer shared how the people from “Gibeon” also carried worn out sackcloth on their donkeys, aged, worn out and torn leather bottles that were used for transporting wine which were tied up or bound.

When we think through the words in this verse, we learn how the people of “Gibeon” began to act in a subtle and crafty manner. They fashioned themselves as diplomats or envoys while gathering together items such as aged sackcloth that was laid upon their donkeys and worn out and torn“wine” skins. The idea was to appear they had come from a far away place, but actually they were very near the people of Israel. We shall see how this works out in our next few verses, but for now, let us consider that our enemy, Satan, is subtle and “wilily”, and his desire is to deceive us and bring about our destruction. (See John 10:10; 1 Peter 5:8) God knows we have sin in our lives, and those sins lead to death. (See Romans 3:23; 6:23) For this reason He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and raised Him from the dead after three days. When we surrender our lives to Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and give us His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and give us the ability not only to know the subtle workings of “Satan”, but also to have the power to resist him. (See James 4:7)

Next time we learn how the people of Gibeon had on, “old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Monday, May 25, 2026

When the Inhabitants of Gibeon Heard - Joshua 9:3

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof. That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord”, and in chapter nine and verse three of the book of Joshua, we learn what happened, “when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done” where we read,

And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,

The verse reads, “And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and when the inhabitants” which means “and at the time and moment the dwellers, abiders and ones who remained” “of Gibeon heard” or “pertaining to Gibeon whose name means hill city and was a Levitical city of Benjamin or modern ‘el-jib’ which lies five miles or 8 km from Jerusalem, were given the ability to hear, perceive, notice, discern and understand” the following. Joshua or the writer shared how the people who lived in “Gibeon” also were given the faculty to “hear” the following.

The verse continues, “… what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, …” Joshua or the writer added the words, “what Joshua” which means “that which Joshua whose name means Jehovah is salvation” “had done unto Jericho” or “had produced and performed toward 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” “and to Ai” which means “and toward Ai whose name means 'heap of ruins’ and was a city lying east of Bethel and beside Bethaven near Jericho and the second city taken on the invasion of Canaan”. Joshua or the writer shared how the people of “Gibeon” perceive what the people of “Israel” did through Jehovah God to “Jericho and Ai”.

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn how the people of “Gibeon” understood what “Israel” did to the cities of “Jericho and Ai”. We can imagine their fear, and we shall see what they do about it in our next verses. God was going before the people of “Israel”, and they were to rely upon Him. God wants us to rely upon Him as well. He knows everything, including that which we shall encounter in the future. 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 equip us with the truth as He empowers us to live according to His ways while trusting Him with our future.

Next time we learn how the people of Gibeon, “did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Kings Gathering Together to Fight Against Israel - Joshua 9:2

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof”, and in chapter nine and verse two of the book of Joshua, we learn how the kings, “gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel” where we read,

That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.

The verse reads, “That they gathered themselves together, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “that they” which means “so they, the kings on the western side of the Jordan river” “gathered themselves together” or “assembled and collected their own selves with one another” for the following purpose. Joshua or the writer said the “kings” on the western side of the “Jordan river” assembled their own selves with one another for the following reason.

The verse goes on to say, “… to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “to fight with Joshua” which means “to battle and wage war against and in opposition to Joshua whose name means Jehovah is salvation” “and with Israel” or “and against and in opposition to Israel whose name means God prevails and is the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob”, “with one accord” which means “by the use of unity and a single purpose and end”. Joshua shared how the “kings” on the western side of the “Jordan river” assembled with a single purpose to wage war against “Israel”.

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn how the “kings” on the “western side of Jordan” assembled together for the purpose of waging war against “Israel”. They “heard” about them conquering “Jericho and Ai”, and we can imagine the concern of these royal rulers as they determined their demise could be at hand. God was fighting on Israel’s behalf, and the knowledge of His presence with Israel must have made these foreign leaders afraid. God defends those who align with Him and His ways, and because He loves us, He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of al mankind and 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 put His Holy Spirt within us to guide us into all truth and assure us that He is not only with us, but He also goes before us into whatever we encounter in this life.

Next time we learn what happens, “when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…