The Word for Today with Ray

Sunday, September 13, 2026

Ehud Escaped - Judges 3:26

In the book of Judges we learned how “Ehud” the judge of Israel killed “Eglon” with a “dagger” and, “Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlor upon him, and locked them. When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlor were locked, they said, Surely he covers his feet in his summer chamber. And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not the doors of the parlor; therefore they took a key, and opened them: and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth”, and in chapter three and verse twenty-six of Judges, we learn how, “Ehud escaped while they tarried” where we read,

And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirath.

The verse reads, “And Ehud escaped while they tarried, …” The writer began with the words, “and Ehud” whose name means “I will give thanks and I will be praised” “escaped while they tarried” or “slipped away and broke loose during the time they, the servants of Eglon, lingered and delayed”. The writer shared how “Ehud” slipped away during the time the servants of “Eglon” were waiting for him to appear.

The verse continues, “… and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirath.” The writer added the words, “and passed beyond the quarries” which means “and marched over, traversed and advanced past the carved, graven images and idols”, “and escaped unto Seirath” or “and slipped away and broke loose to Seirath whose name means “the shaggy” and was a place probably in southeast Ephraim”. The writer shared how “Ehud” made his way past the idols and graven images and broke loose to “Seirath”.

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn how “Ehud” fled from “Eglon’s” cooling roof chamber during the time his servants were waiting for him to respond. They were unaware that their king and master “Eglon” was dead, but “Ehud” used that time to break loose, traverse the location of the idols and graven images and travel to “Seirath”. God led “Ehud”, and set him free. God will also lead us when we yield 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 believe and trust in Him 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 follow His lead any time He desires our escape. (See John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 10:13)

Next time we learn how Ehud, “blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim”, 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".

Tarrying Till Ashamed and Eglon Dead - Judges 3:25

In the book of Judges we learned how “Ehud” told “Eglon the king of Moab”, “I have a secret errand unto you, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him .And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlor, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto you. And he arose out of his seat. And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly: And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out. Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlor upon him, and locked them. When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlor were locked, they said, Surely he covers his feet in his summer chamber”, and in chapter three and verse twenty-five of Judges, we learn how the servants, “tarried till they were ashamed … their lord was fallen down dead on the earth” where we read,

And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not the doors of the parlor; therefore they took a key, and opened them: and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.

The verse reads, “And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not the doors of the parlor;” The writer began with the words, “and they tarried” which means “and they, the servants of Eglon, writhed, travailed, were in anguish and waited” “till they were ashamed” or “until they, the servants of Eglon, existed as disconcerted, disappointed and confounded”: “and, behold, he opened not the doors” which means “and lo, look and consider, he, Eglon, did not loose, set free or bread forth the leafs, lids or gates” “of the parlor” or “belonging to the roof room or chamber”. The writer shared how the “servants of Eglon” waited for him until they were writhing and in anguish, and still, “Eglon” did not “open” the gates belonging to his roof chamber.

The verse goes on to say, “therefore they took a key, and opened them: and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.” The writer continued with the words, “therefore they took a key” which means “wherefore, then and on this account they, the servants of Eglon, fetched, seized and acquired an opening instrument”, “and opened them” or “and let loose, threw open and broke forth them, the doors to the roof chamber”: “and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead” which means “and lo, look and consider, their, the servants of Eglon’s, firm master, superintendent and king existed as cast down, prostrate and lain” “on the earth” or “upon the land, country, territory, district and ground”. The writer shared how the “servants of Eglon” secured a lock opening instrument, set free the doors and discovered their master “Eglon” had “fallen down dead” to the ground.

When we consider the words in this verse, we discover how the “servants of Eglon” delayed opening the doors to his cooling roof chamber until they were embarrassed for waiting so long. They finally fetched the “key” to the doors, opened them and found “Eglon” “fallen down dead” to the ground. God’s plan worked, and “Ehud” carried out His directives to accomplish His work. God wants to do a work in us as well, and when 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, He made the way through faith and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord” to be forgiven of our sins, granted everlasting life and given His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and help us rely upon Him with all the plans He has for our lives. (See John 3:16; Ephesians 3:20)

Next time we learn how, “Ehud escaped while they tarried”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Gone Out and Servants Came - Judges 3:24

In the book of Judges we learned how “Ehud” told “Eglon the king of Moab”, “I have a secret errand unto you, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him .And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlor, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto you. And he arose out of his seat. And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly: And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out. Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlor upon him, and locked them”, and in chapter three and verse twenty-four of Judges we learn, “When he was gone out, his servants came” where we read,

When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlor were locked, they said, Surely he covers his feet in his summer chamber.

The verse reads, “When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlor were locked, they said, …” The writer began with the words, “when he was gone out” which means “at the time and moment he, Ehud, departed, left and existed”, “his servants came” or “his, Eglon’s, laborers and workers entered and approached”; “and when they saw that” which means “and at the time and moment they, the servants of Eglon, perceived, discerned and observed the following”, “behold, the doors of the parlor were locked” or “lo, look and consider, the leafs, lids or gates belonging to the roof room and chamber existed as barred, bolted and fastened”, “they said” which means “they, the servants of Eglon, uttered, declared and proclaimed” the following words. The writer said after “Ehud” escaped, the laborers of “Eglon” approached the place where “Eglon” was located.

The verse continues, “… Surely he covers his feet in his summer chamber.” The writer added the words, “surely he covers his feet” which means “indeed, certainly, truly and verily he, Eglon, hedges, shuts in and protects his, Eglon’s, physical feel” “in his summer chamber” or “within his, Eglon’s, cooling off loft or chamber room”. The writer shared how “Eglon’s servants” thought he certainly must be enclosing his physical feet within his cooling chamber room.

When we think through the words in this verse, we learn how “Eglon’s servants” went to check on him within his cooling chamber room, and rather than barge into the room to see if he was okay, they decided he must be “covering his feet” as to rest. We shall what the servants do in this story in our next few verses, but for now, let us be mindful that this delay in knowing what really happened allowed “Ehud” to escape. This was God’s plan for the deliverance of Israel from “Eglon”, and because God loves Israel, His plan was certain to work. God has a plan for our lives as well, and it begins with believing in His Son Jesus who came into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and to be raised from the dead after three days. 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 His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and give us the ability to rely upon Him with every adversary who rises up against us. (See John 3:16; 16:13; Acts 1:8: Isaiah 54:15-17)

Next time we learn how the servants, “tarried till they were ashamed … their lord was fallen down dead on the earth”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Through the Porch and Shutting the Doors - Judges 3:23

In the book of Judges we learned how, “the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab. But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh. And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man. And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the present. But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto you, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him, and Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlor, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto you. And he arose out of his seat. And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly: And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out”, and in chapter three and verse twenty-three of Judges, we learn how, “Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors” where we read,

Then Ehud went forth through the porch,

and shut the doors of the parlor upon him, and locked them.

The verse reads, “Then Ehud went forth through the porch, …” The writer began with the words, “then Ehud went forth” which means “at that time Ehud whose name means ‘I will give thanks or I will be praised’ and was a Benjamite judge and deliverer of Israel from Moab” “through the porch” or “by way of the colonnade or internal portico”. The writer shared how “Ehud” escaped through the internal portico with rows of pillars.

The verse goes on to say, “… and shut the doors of the parlor upon him, and locked them.” The writer continued with the words, “and shut the doors” which means “and closed the gate, leaf or lid” “of the parlor upon him” or “belonging to the roof room or chamber on him, Eglon”, “and locked them” which means “and barred, bolted and fastened them, the doors”. The writer shared how “Ehud” closed the gates to the roof chamber where “Eglon” was located and fastened them.

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn how “Ehud” escaped from the “roof chamber”, exited the “doors” and fastened them when he left. We can imagine this scene as “Eglon” probably fell to the ground dead with the sharpened “dagger” still in his abdomen, and “Ehud” fled before anyone was aware of what happened. This demonstrates God working through His people to defend His cause. God loves the people of Israel, and He loves us. He went to great lengths to show His love toward us when 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 “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 give us the ability to trust Him when He has a plan for the adversaries who rise against us. (See John 3:16; 16:13; Acts 1:8; Psalm 94:22)

Next time we learn, “When he was gone out, his servants came”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

The Haft after the Blade - Judges 3:22

In the book of Judges we learned how, “the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab. But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh. And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man. And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the present. But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto you, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him, and Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlor, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto you. And he arose out of his seat. And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly:”, and in chapter three and verse twenty-two of Judges, we learn how, “the haft also went in after the blade” where we read,

And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade,

so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out.

The verse reads, “And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, …” The writer began with the words, “and the haft” which means “and the hilt or handle of the sharpened knife” “also went in after the blade” or “even so and indeed entered the abdomen following the sharpened edge of the knife”; “and the fat closed upon the blade” which means “and the abundant fat in Eglon’s body shut up and surrounded the sharpened edge of the knife”. The writer shared how the handle of “Ehud’s” dagger entered “Eglon” so deeply that the “fat” of his body surrounded and enclosed it.

The verse continues, “… so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out.” The writer added the words, “so that he could not draw the dagger” which means “which caused Ehud to be unable to withdraw, pull out or remove the sharpened knife” “out of his belly” or “from his, Eglon’s, stomach or abdomen”; “and the dirt came out” which means “and the excrement or feces departed, proceeded forward and departed”. The writer shared because the sharpened knife went so deeply into “Eglon’s” body, “Ehud” was unable to removed it from him, and the excrement within his body proceeded from him.

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn just how effective “Ehud” was in delivering the people of Israel from “Eglon the king of Moab”. Not only did “Ehud” deliver to “Eglon” a gift or tribute to begin this attack, but after softening him through the gift, Ehud was able to send away his entourage, return to “Eglon” with a special message, make entrance into his resting quarters and deliver this knife wielding “message” from God. “Eglon” fell that day not only because the sharpened knife went so deeply into his fat body that his excrement came out, but because Jehovah God came to the rescue of Israel. God came to our rescue as well when 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 yield to Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He comes to our rescue by forgiving our sins, granting us everlasting life and equipping us with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and give us the wisdom to deal with our adversaries whenever they rise against us. (See John 3:16; 16:13; Acts 1:8: Isaiah 54:15-17)

Next time we learn how, “Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Saturday, September 12, 2026

A Dagger Thrust into the Belly - Judges 3:21

In the book of Judges we learned how, “the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab. But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh. And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man. And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the present. But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto you, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him. And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlor, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto you. And he arose out of his seat.”, and in chapter three and verse twenty-one of Judges, we learn how Ehud, “took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly” where we read,

And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh,

and thrust it into his belly:

The verse reads, “And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, …” The writer began with the words, “and Ehud” whose name means “I will give thanks or I will be praised” “put forth his left hand” or “stretched out and extended his left side physical hand”; “and took the dagger” which means “and fetched, lay hold of and acquired the sharpened knife” “from his right thigh” or “separate and apart from his, Ehud’s, right side thigh of his leg”. The writer shared how “Ehud” stretched out his “left” physical “hand” and lay hold of the sharpened knife from the right hand thigh of his leg.

The verse goes on to say, “… and thrust it into his belly:” The writer continued with the words, “and thrust it” which means “and smote and drove it, the sharpened knife”, “into his belly” or “in his, Eglon’s, abdomen or stomach”. The writer shared how “Ehud” drove the sharpened knife in the stomach or abdomen of “Eglon”.

When we think through the words in this verse, we learn how to”Ehud” took his “left hand”, seized his sharpened knife from the right side thigh of his leg and drove it into the abdomen of “Eglon”. What a “message from God” this was! God was avenging His people Israel from the oppression of “Eglon”, and we shall see how this act set the people of Israel free. God loves Israel, and when He saved them through “Ehud”, it became a wonderful type of how He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was raised from the dead after three days. When we yield to His Son Jesus as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and equip us with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and give us the ability to trust Him with all those who would attempt to keep us from our relationship with Him. (See John 3:16; 16:13; Acts 1:8; Isaiah 54:17)

Next time we learn how, “the haft also went in after the blade”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Ehud Comes to Eglon - Judges 3:20

And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlor, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto you. And he arose out of his seat.

The verse reads, “And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlor, which he had for himself alone.” The writer began with the words, “and Ehud” whose name means “I will give thanks or I will be praised” “came unto him” or “entered and was brought near to him, Eglon”; “and he was sitting” which means “and he, Eglon, remained, abided and settled down in a seated position” “in a summer parlor” or “within a cooling off loft or chamber room”, “which he had for himself alone” which means “that he, Eglon, possessed, held and owned on behalf of his own self”. The writer shared how “Ehud” entered the cooling off loft which “Eglon” possessed for his own self and was seated.

The verse continues, “… And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto you. And he arose out of his seat.” The writer added the words, “and Ehud said” which means “and Ehud whose name means “I will give thanks or I will be praised” uttered, declared and proclaimed”, “I have a message from God unto you” or “I, Ehud, possess and hold a speech, utterance and word apart from the Supreme Deity toward you, Eglon”. “And he arose out of his seat” which means “and he, Eglon, stood and rose from his throne or royal and authoritative sitting place”. The writer shared how “Ehud” told “Eglon” that he possessed an utterance from the Supreme Deity for him.

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we see how “Ehud” approached “Eglon” where he was seated in his cooling off location. God was using “Ehud” to carry out His plan of redemption for the people of the people of Israel after they had forsaken Him, and He has a plan for us as well. Because we have sin in our lives that leads to death, He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of the world, 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 put His Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth and to help us live in a manner that helps us to give all our adversaries over to Him to carry out vengeance against them. (See John 3:16; Isaiah 54:17; 63:4; Romans 12:19)

Next time we learn how Ehud, “took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…