The Word for Today with Ray

Friday, May 29, 2026

You are Cursed and None Shall be Freed - Joshua 9:23

In the book of Joshua, we learned how the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto the cities of the men of Gibeah on the third day, and when the congregation of Israel murmured against their leaders for allowing the men of Gibeah to live, they said.,“We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we swore unto them. And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them. And Joshua called for them, and he spoke unto them, saying, Wherefore have you beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when you dwell among us?”, and in chapter nine and verse twenty-three of the book of Joshua, we learn how Joshua told the men, “therefore you are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen”, where we read,

Now therefore you are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen,

and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.

The verse reads, “Now therefore you are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “now therefore you are cursed” which means “at this time, wherefore, then and on this account you, the men of Gibeah, exist as execrated, damned and doomed”, “and there shall none of you be freed” or “and there will not exist a single one of you, men of Gibeah, who will exist as exempt and without charge” “from being bondmen” which means “separate and apart from existing as slaves, servants and men of servile condition”. Joshua told the “men of Gibeah” that they were execrated and doomed because not one of them would be exempt from being servants.

The verse goes on to say, “… and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “and hewers of wood” which means “and cutters and gatherers of timbers, stock, planks and sticks” “and drawers of water” or “and balers of fresh water” “for the house of my God” which means “on behalf of the dwelling place, abode and habitation belonging to my, Joshua’s, Supreme Deity”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Joshua” told the “men of Gibeah” they would serve the dwelling place of his Supreme Deity by cutting and gathering “wood” and fetching “water”.

When we consider the words in this verse, we discover how Joshua told the “men of Gibeah” that they were doomed to be the servants of Israel and not one of them would be exempt. They were to cut and gather wood and fetch water which would be used within the dwelling place of Joshua’s Supreme Deity, Jehovah God. We might called this a consolation prize for the “men of Gibeah” because their lives were saved, however, because they lied, they would now be as bondmen. God knows everyone is bound by sin and wrong, and those sins lead to death. (See Romans 3:10, 23; 6:23) For this reason God sent His Only Begotten Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of everyone, 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, free us from the penalty of 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 is not only “liberating” but also willing to be in service to Him.

Next time we learn how the “men of Gibeah”, “answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told your servants, how that the LORD your God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land”, 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".

As the Princes Promised - Joshua 9:22

In the book of Joshua, we learned how the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto the cities of the men of Gibeah on the third day, and when the congregation of the people of Israel murmured against their leaders, they said,“We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we swore unto them. And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them”, and in chapter nine and verse twenty-two of the book of Joshua, we learn how Joshua asked the men of Gibeah, “Wherefore have you beguiled us?”, where we read,

And Joshua called for them, and he spoke unto them, saying,

Wherefore have you beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when you dwell among us?

The verse reads, “And Joshua called for them, and he spoke unto them, saying, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and Joshua called for them” which means “and Joshua whose name means Jehovah is salvation summoned and demanded the presence of the men of Gibeah”, “and he spoke” or “and he, Joshua, uttered, declared, proclaimed and questioned” “unto them” which means “to them, the men of Gibeah”, “saying” or “uttering, declaring, proclaiming and asking” the following question. Joshua or the writer shared how “Joshua” summoned the “men of Gibeah” and asked them the following question.

The verse continues, “Wherefore have you beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when you dwell among us?” Joshua or the writer added the words, “wherefore have you beguiled us” which means “for what reason and cause have you, men of Gibeah, deceived, mislead and dealt treacherously with us, Joshua and the people of Israel”, “saying” or “uttering, declaring and proclaiming”, “we are very far from you” which means “we, the men of Gibeah, exist and live a great distance separate and apart from you, the people of Israel”; “when you dwell among us” or “at the time and moment you, the men of Gibeah, live, abide and are inhabitants in the midst and middle of us, the people of Israel”? Joshua asked the “men of Gibeah” why they deceived them by declaring that they lived a great distance away from the people of Israel when they actually lived within their midst.

When we think through the words in this verse, we see how Joshua began to question the “men of Gibeah” by demanding their presence and asking them why they lied to them about living a great distance away from Israel’s location. The “men of Gibeah” lived within their proximity, but they told “Joshua” and the leaders of Israel otherwise. God knew where they lived, but Joshua and the people of Israel did not seek God for what to do with these men. We shall see how this affects Israel’s future in our next verses, but for now let us consider that Jehovah God desires to have an intimate personal relationship with us through His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was resurrected from the grave after three days. When we yield to 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 help us to rely upon Him when we do not know the truth about others and what they have said.

Next time we learn how Joshua tells the men, “therefore you are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Let Them Live - Joshua 9:21

In the book of Joshua, we learned how the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto the cities of the men of Gibeah on the third day.“Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim. And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes. But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them. This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we swore unto them”, and in chapter nine and verse twenty-one of the book of Joshua, we learn how “the princes said unto them, Let them live” where we read,

And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes had promised them.

The verse reads, “And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation;” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and the princes said unto them” which means “and the leaders, chiefs, chieftains and rulers uttered, declared and proclaimed to them, the people of Israel”, “let them live” or “allow and permit them, the men of Gibeah, to remain alive, active and breathing”; “but let them be hewers of wood” which means “however, nonetheless, notwithstanding and moreover allow and permit them, the men of Gibeah, to exist and cutters and gatherers of timbers, stock, planks and sticks” “and drawers of water” or “and balers of fresh water” “unto all the congregation” which means “to each, every, the whole and everyone within the gathered and assembled people of Israel”. Joshua or the writer shared how the leaders of Israel encouraged the crowd to allow the men of Gibeah to remain alive and to become those who cut and gather “wood” as well as “draw water” for everyone in Israel.

The verse goes on to say, “as the princes had promised them.” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “as the princes” which means “similar and in likeness to the way the leaders, chiefs, chieftains and rulers” “had promised them” or “adjured and gave an oath to them, the men of Gibeah”. Joshua or the writer shared how the gathered assembly of the people of Israel were to allow the man of Gibeah to remain alive and become their servants in carrying “wood” and bringing “water” even as the “leaders” took an oath that they would do.

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn how the leaders of Israel began to convince the assembled crowd of grumbling Israelites that they should allow the “men of Gibeah” to remain alive. In doing so, the “men of Gibeah” would become the people of Israel’s servants who “cut and gathered wood” and fetched “water” for them. Compliance with the leaders request would be in keeping with their promise given to the “men of Gibeah”, and we shall see how this works out in our next few verses. For now, let us be reminded that the leaders of Israel did not seek God in prayer before they believed the “men of Gibeah” and made this covenant with them. Perhaps all of this encounter with the “congregation” could have been avoided if they had only asked God. Regardless, God knows we make mistakes and often err from His perfect ways. This is sin which literally means “to miss the mark”. Everyone sins, and because those sins lead to death and separation from God, (See Romans 3:23; 6:23) God sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind. When we surrender our lives to 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 make wise choices when we have an opportunity to make an alliance with others.

Next time we learn how Joshua asked the men, “Wherefore have you beguiled us?”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Let Them Live or Wrath on Us - Joshua 9:20

In the book of Joshua, we learned how the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto the cities of the men of Gibeah on the third day. “Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim. And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes. But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them”, and in chapter nine and verse twenty of the book of Joshua, we learn how the men of Israel said, “we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us” where we read,

This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us,

because of the oath which we swore unto them.

The verse reads, “This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “this we will do to them” which means “the following shall we, the people of Israel, accomplish and perform toward them, the men of Gibeah”; “we will even let them live” or “we, the people of Israel, shall also and indeed allow and permit them, the men of Gibeah, to remain alive, continue breathing and sustain life”, “lest wrath be upon us” which means “unless anger and wrath exists on us, the people of Israel”. Joshua or the writer shared how the people of Israel told their leaders that they would allow the men of Gibeah to remain alive or anger and rage would exist on them.

The verse continues, “… because of the oath which we swore unto them.” Joshua or the writer added the words, “because of the oath” which means “since and on account of the promise, alliance, agreement, covenant, treaty and pledge” “which we swore unto them” or “that we, the people of Israel, promised and took an oath toward them, the men of Gibeah”. Joshua or the writer shared how the assembled people of Israel told their leaders that they would allow the men of Gibeah to remain alive on account of the oath and commitment they made with them.

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn through Joshua or the writer how the people of Israel agreed to allow the men of Gibeah to remain alive or anger and rage would rest upon them for breaking their promise. Their devotion and determination to keep their word is commendable, however, they made their alliance without consulting God Almighty and before they knew the men of Gibeah were lying. God wants us to rely upon Him, and because He loves us, 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 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 wisdom and determination to go to Him first and follow His direction in everything we do.

Next time we learn how “the princes said unto them, Let them live”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Sworn By the LORD - Joshua 9:19

In the book of Joshua, we learned how the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto the cities go Gibeah on the third day.,“Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim. And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes”, and in chapter nine and verse nineteen of the book of Joshua, we learn how the “princes” of Israel said, “we have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel” where we read,

But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.

The verse reads, “But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel:” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “but all the princes” which means “however, nonetheless, notwithstanding and moreover each, the whole and every one of the leaders, chiefs, chieftains and officials” “said unto the congregation” or “uttered, declared and proclaimed to the gathered assembly”, “we have sworn unto them” which means “we, the officials of Israel, promised, made a covenant and formed an alliance with them, the people of Gibeah” “by the LORD God” or “through the means of Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name of the One True God who is the Supreme Deity” “of Israel” which means “belonging to Israel whose name means God prevails and is the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob”. Joshua or the writer shared how each and every one of the officials and leaders of Israel told the people who were assembled how they made an oath with the men of Gibeah through the means of Jehovah God who is the Supreme Deity of “Israel”.

The verse goes on to say, “now therefore we may not touch them.” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “now therefore” which means “at this time wherefore, then and on this account” “we may not touch them” or “we, the leaders of Israel, are unable to violently strike, hit or beat them, the men of Gibeah”. Joshua or the writer shared how the leaders of Israel told the assembled people that they were unable to violently strike and beat the men of Gibeah.

When we think through the words in this verse, we learn how the leaders of Israel began to explain why they were unable to strike the men of Gibeah. They told the assembled crowd that they had made a covenant with the men of Gibeah, and their promise was given through Jehovah God. It is interesting to note that the leaders of Israel felt obligated to keep their promise to the men of Gibeah, but they did not go to Jehovah God in prayer prior to making the agreement with them. God wants us to yield our lives to Him completely 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 equipped with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and give us the wisdom to seek His direction before we make agreements with others that obligate us in ways that are out of alignment with Him.

Next time we learn how the men of Israel say, “we will even let them live, lest wrath be upon us”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Israel Not Smiting - Joshua 9:18

In the book of Joshua, we are learned how the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto the men of Gibeah’s cities on the third day.“Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim”, and in chapter nine and verse eighteen of the book of Joshua, we learn how, “the children of Israel smote them not” where we read,

And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes.

The verse reads, “And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and the children of Israel” which means “and the offspring and progeny belonging to Israel whose name means God prevails and is the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob” “smote them not” or “did not hit, beat or kill them, the men of Gibeon”, “because the princes” which means “since and on account of the leaders, chiefs, chieftains and officials” “of the congregation” or “belonging to the gathering or assembly of Israel” “had sworn unto them” which means “promised, adjured and took an oath toward them, the men of Gibeon” “by the LORD God” or “through the means of Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name of the One True God” “of Israel” which means “belonging to Israel whose name means God prevails and is the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob”. Joshua or the writer shared how the offspring belonging to “Israel” did not beat or kill the “men of Gibeah” on account that their leaders and officials made a covenant with them through their Supreme Deity Jehovah God.

The verse continues, “And all the congregation murmured against the princes.” Joshua or the writer added the words, “and all the congregation murmured” which means “and each, every, the whole and everyone within the gathering and assembly grumbled and complained” “against the princes” or “in opposition to the chiefs, chieftains, leaders and officials of Israel”. Joshua or the writer shared how everyone within the assembly of the people of Israel began to grumble and complain in opposition to their leaders and officials.

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we discover how the offspring of “Israel” did not beat or kill the “men of Gibeah” on account that their leaders took an oath by Jehovah God that they would not harm them. This action caused the people of “Israel” to complain against their leaders, and we can imagine how this affected all of “Israel”. God knew the deception that was being carried out by the “men of Gibeah”, and the leaders of “Israel” did not go to Him in prayer to seek His advice. Now the leaders of “Israel” were keeping their promise and oath to the “men of Gibeah”, and their people were upset. God wants us to come to Him through His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was raised from the dead after three days, and when we yield to Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put His Holy Spirit within us who will guide us into the truth and remind us to pray before we make commitments that will harm us and others in the future.

Next time we learn how the leaders of Israel say, “we have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

The Children of Israel Journeying - Joshua 9:17

In the book of Joshua, we are learned how the men of Gibeon fabricated a story about being from a distant place, “and it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors, and that they dwelt among them”, and in chapter nine and verse seventeen of the book of Joshua, we learn how, “the children of Israel journeyed” where we read,

And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day.

Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim.

The verse reads, “And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day.” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and the children of Israel journeyed” which means “and the offspring and progeny belonging to Israel whose name means God prevails and is the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob, set forward, departed and pulled up their tent-pins to travel”, “and came unto their cities” or “and approached and drew close to their, the men of Gibeon’s, dwelling places and towns” “on the third day” which means “upon the third sunrise to sunset”. Joshua or the writer shared how the offspring of “Israel” traveled forward and approached the dwelling places which belonged to the “men of Gibeon” after only three days had passed.

The verse goes on to say, “Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim.” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “now their cities” which means “their, the men of Gibeon’s, dwelling places or towns” “were Gibeon” or “existed as Gibeon whose name means hill city and was a Levitical city of Benjamin, modern 'el-Jib', which lies 5 miles or 8 km from Jerusalem”, “and Chephirah” whose name means “lioness and was a city of the Gibeonites subsequently assigned to the tribe of Benjamin”, “and Beeroth” or “wells and was a Gibeonite city allotted to Benjamin”, “and Kirjathjearim” whose name means “city of forests and was a city on the northern boundary of Judah and on the western and southern boundaries of Benjamin”. Joshua or the writer shared the names of the dwelling places that belonged to the “men of Gibeon” which were “Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim.”

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn how only three days went by after the men of Israel made a peace treaty with the “men of Gibeon”, and the people of Israel traveled and arrived at the “men of Gibeon’s” dwelling places which were, “Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim.” We can imagine how chagrined the people of Israel were when they realized they had be duped into believing these people were from a distant land, and yet, they were very close to their location. God knew this, and the mistake made by the people of Israel was that they did not go to Him in prayer before they formed their peace-treaty. God wants to have a personal intimate relationship with us, and when we have decisions to make, we should go to Him in prayer. We should remember that He loves us so much that He gave His Only Begotten Son Jesus to be crucified on the cross for our sins and raised Him from the dead 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 help us to seek Him in prayer so we are not surprised by that which we did not know was soon to be in our future.

Next time we learn how, “the children of Israel smote them not”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…