The Word for Today with Ray

Sunday, June 7, 2026

Joshua Smiting from Kadeshbarnea to Gaza - Joshua 10:41

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded”, and in chapter ten and verse forty-one of the book of Joshua, we learn how, “Joshua smote them from Kadeshbarnea even unto Gaza” where we read,

And Joshua smote them from Kadeshbarnea even unto Gaza,

and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon.

The verse reads, “And Joshua smote them from Kadeshbarnea even unto Gaza, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and Joshua smote them” which means “and Joshua whose name means Jehovah is salvation struck, hit, beat and killed them, the cities within the promise land” “from Kadeshbarnea” whose name means “holy” and was “a city in the extreme south of Judah” “even unto Gaza” or “Assah” which means “as far as and up until Gaza whose name means ‘the strong’ and was a city of the Philistines located in the extreme southwest of Palestine close to the Mediterranean”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Joshua” struck, killed and destroyed the people within the promise land from the extreme southern city of Judah named “Kadeshbarnea” to the extreme southwest city of Palestine named “Gaza”.

The verse continues, “and all the country of Goshen, even unto Gibeon.” Joshua or the writer added the words, “and all the country” which means “and each, every and the whole of the territory, region and district” “of Goshen” or “belonging to Goshen whose name means ‘drawing near’ and was a district in southern Palestine between Gaza and Gibeon”, “even unto Gibeon” which means “also and indeed to Gibeon whose name means ‘hill city’ and was a Levitical city of Benjamin, modern 'el-Jib', which lies five miles or eight km from Jerusalem”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Joshua” also seized every one of the territories belonging to “Goshen” to “Gibeon” as he and the people of “Israel” marched through the promise land.

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we discover how wide the area was that “Joshua” and the people of “Israel” overtook in the promise land. Jehovah God gave them this land, and their mission was to destroy all the people and influences which were in these pagan cities. God desires to purify us in this manner, and when we receive His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was raised from the dead after three days as our personal “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 empower us to live according to that truth in a manner that is pleasing to Him and eradicates every area of sin in our lives.

Next time we learn how, “all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time”, 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".

Joshua Smites All the Country of the Hills - Joshua 10:40

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir; and fought against it. And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and to her king”, and in chapter ten and verse forty of the book of Joshua, we learn how, “Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings” where we read,

So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings: he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded.

The verse reads, “So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings:,” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “So Joshua” which means “wherefore and therefore Joshua whose name means Jehovah is salvation” “smote all the country” or “struck, hit, beat and killed each, every and the whole of the territory, region and district” “of the hills” which means “belonging to the risings above the plain or mountains”, “and of the south” or “and belonging to the southern direction”, “and of the vale” which means “and belonging to the lowland and plain”, “and of the springs” or “and belonging to the foundations or mountain slopes”, “and all their kings” which means “and each, the whole and every one of their, the cities’, royal rulers and leaders”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Joshua” struck and killed every one of the mountainous areas, the locations in the southern direction, the lowlands and the mountainous slopes along with every one of their royal rulers.

The verse goes on to say, “he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded.” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “he left none remaining” which means “he, Joshua, did not allow a single person to continue living and breathing”, “but utterly destroyed” or “however, nonetheless, notwithstanding and moreover completely exterminated and annihilated” “all that breathed” which means “each, every and the whole of the people who had spirit, soul and breath in them”, “as the LORD God”or “even and indeed like Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name of the One True God who is the Supreme Deity” “of Israel commanded” 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, charged and ordered”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Joshua” did not allow anyone who was alive to remain breathing even as the Supreme Deity of Israel, Jehovah God, ordered them to do.

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn how “Joshua” and the people of “Israel” obeyed the orders of Jehovah God to completely destroy all these cities and the people within the promise land. Not one person was to be left breathing among them. This may seem extreme upon first glance, but as we discover these were wretched and pagan people whose influence was to be completely removed from God’s chosen people Israel. In like manner, God desires to remove every area of sin in our lives that keeps us separated from Him, and because those sins lead to death, He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind. 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 empower us to live according to that truth so that we too will have every area of sin and paganism removed as we live to be His witnesses in this world. (See John 16:13; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:2; 1 John 1:9)

Next time we learn how, “Joshua smote them from Kadeshbarnea even unto Gaza”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Joshua Takes Debir, the King and the Cities - Joshua 10:39

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir; and fought against it”, and in chapter ten and verse thirty-nine of the book of Joshua, we learn how, Joshua “took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof” where we read,

And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and to her king.

The verse reads, “And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they smote them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein;” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and he took it” which means “and he, Joshua, captured, seized and occupied it, Debir”, “and the king thereof” or “and the royal ruler and leader of Debir”, “and all the cities thereof” which means “and each, every and the whole of the dwelling places and towns”: “and they smote them” or “and they, the people of Israel, struck, hit, beat and killed them, the people of Debir” “with the edge of the sword” which means “by the use of the extremity or end belonging to the sharpened knife or cutting instrument”, “and utterly destroyed” or “and completely exterminated and annihilated ” “all the souls that were therein” which means “each, every and the whole of the living beings who were dwelling and living within Debir”. “Joshua” and the people of “Israel” captured “Debir” and their royal ruler, beat and killed them with sharpened instruments of war and completely annihilated every living being who inhabited “Debir”.

The verse continues, “he left none remaining: as he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to the king thereof; as he had done also to Libnah, and to her king.” Joshua or the writer added the words, “he left none remaining” which means “he, Joshua, did not leave or allow a single person to remain alive and breathing”: “as he had done to Hebron” or “similar and in like fashion that he, Joshua, performed and acted toward Hebron whose name means ‘association’ and was a city in south Judah approximately twenty miles south of Jerusalem and approximately twenty miles (30 km) north of Beersheba and near where Abraham built an altar”, “so he did to Debir” which means “also and indeed he, Joshua, performed and acted toward Debir whose name means ‘sanctuary’ and was a town in the mountains of Judah west of Hebron and given to the priests and a city of refuge” “and to the king thereof”or “and toward the royal ruler and leader of Debir”: “as he had done also to Libnah” which means “in similar and life fashion that he, Joshua, acted and performed even so and indeed toward Libnah whose name means ‘pavement’ and was a royal city of the Canaanites in the southwest captured by Joshua; allocated to Judah and made a Levitical city; site unknown” “and to her king” or “and to her, Libnah’s, royal ruler and leader”. Joshua and the people of Israel did not allow a single person to remain alive within “Debir”, and in like manner to the way they destroyed “Lachish”, even so did they toward “Debir” and their royal ruler.

When we think through the words in this verse, we discover how “Joshua” and the people of “Israel” continued to defeat foes who were occupying cities and dwelling places which Jehovah God gave to them in the promise land. “Debir”, their dwelling places and towns and their royal ruler were all annihilated by the people of “Israel” by the help of Almighty God. In like manner, God knows we all have an enemy to our souls, sin, and that sin must be eradicated before we can have a personal relationship with a “Holy God”. Sin leads to death, (See Romans 6:23) and for this reason God sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind. He raised Him from the dead after three days, and when we yield our lives 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 lead and guide us into all truth and help us to defeat every area of sin within us that is in opposition to Him.

Next time we learn how, “Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Saturday, June 6, 2026

Joshua and Israel Return to Debir - Joshua 10:38

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron; and they fought against it. And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly, and all the souls that were therein”, and in chapter ten and verse thirty-eight of the book of Joshua, we learn how, “Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir” where we read,

And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir; and fought against it:

The verse reads, “And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir;” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and Joshua returned” which means “and Joshua whose name means Jehovah is salvation turned and went back”, “and all Israel with him” or “and each, every and the whole of the people of Israel whose name means ‘God prevails’ and is the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob ”, “to Debir” which means “toward Debir whose name means sanctuary and was a town in the mountains of Judah west of Hebron and given to the priests and a city of refuge”. “Joshua” and every one of the people of “Israel” went back to “Debir” to do the following.

The verse goes on to say, “and fought against it:” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “and fought” which means “and battled and warred” “against it” or “in opposition to it, Debir”. “Joshua” and the people of “Israel” warred in opposition to “Debir” and the people within it.

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn about another city that was to be conquered by “Joshua” and every one of the people of “Israel”. “Debir” was next, and Jehovah God would use “Joshua” to lead the army of “Israel” to defeat and destroy it. Each of these cities become a type for areas of sin in our lives that God desires to eliminate. Sin separates us from a personal relationship with God, and we all have sinned and come short of His glory. (See Romans 3:23) Our sin leads to death, (See Romans 6:23a) however, “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. (See Romans 6:23b) God sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind, and when we yield our lives to Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and provide us with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and help us eradicate areas in our lives that are in opposition to Him and His ways. (See Titus 3:5; 1 John 1:9)

Next time we learn how Joshua, “took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Taking and Smiting Eglon - Joshua 10:37

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron; and they fought against it”, and in chapter ten and verse thirty-seven of the book of Joshua, we learn how, “they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword” where we read,

And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that were therein; he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly, and all the souls that were therein.

The verse reads, “And they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the souls that were therein.” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and they took it” which means “and they, Joshua and the people of Israel, captured, seized and occupied it, Hebron”, “and smote it” or “and struck, beat, hit and destroyed it, Hebron” “with the edge of the sword” which means “by the use of the extremity or end belonging to the sharpened knife or cutting instrument ”, “and the king thereof” or “and the royal ruler and leader within Hebron”, “and all the cities thereof” which means “and each, the whole and every one of the dwelling places and towns within Hebron”, “and all the souls that were therein” or “and each, at the whole and every one of the living beings who were dwelling and living within Hebron”. Joshua and the people of Israel captured Hebron and annihilated every one of the people and the royal ruler living there by the use of the sharpened weapon of war.

The verse continues, “he left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but destroyed it utterly, and all the souls that were therein.” Joshua or the writer added the words, “he left none remaining” which means “he, Joshua, did not allow nor permit a single person within Hebron to remain alive and breathing”, “according to all that he had done” or “in keeping with each, the whole and everything he, Jehovah God through Joshua, acted and performed” “to Eglon” which means “toward Eglon whose name means ‘calf-like’ and was a royal city in Canaan that opposed the conquest; located in the low lands of Judah”: “but destroyed it utterly” or “however, nonetheless, notwithstanding and moreover completely exterminated and annihilated it, Hebron”, “and all the souls” which means “and each, the whole and every one of the living beings” “that were therein” or “who were living and dwelling within Hebron”. Joshua did not allow a single person from “Hebron” to remain alive in a similar fashion that he did toward “Eglon” even as the people and location were completely annihilated.

When we consider the words in this verse, we see how it was important for “Joshua” and the people of “Israel” to completely destroy all of their enemies. These pagan cities were being judged and eliminated by Jehovah God, and in like manner He desires to do the same within us. Sin, missing the mark, wrong, error and mistakes are within every person, and those sins lead to death. (See Romans 3:23; 6:23) Sin must be eradicated from our lives to have a personal relationship with a “Holy God”, and for this reason, God sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of every person. He raised Him from the dead so that we may believe and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord” to have our sins forgiven, be granted everlasting life and equipped with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and help us to completely remove every sin and idol that we have within us. (John 6:13; 1 John 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:9)

Next time we learn how, “Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir;”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Joshua and Israel to Hebron - Joshua 10:36

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “from Lachish Joshua passed unto Eglon, and all Israel with him; and they encamped against it, and fought against it. And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish”, and in chapter ten and verse thirty-six of the book of Joshua, we learn how, “Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron” where we read,

And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron;

and they fought against it:

The verse reads, “And Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron;” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and Joshua” whose name means “Jehovah is salvation” “went up from Eglon” or “ascended and proceeded forward separate and apart from Eglon whose name means ‘calf-like’ and was a royal city in Canaan that opposed the conquest; located in the low lands of Judah”, “and all Israel with him” which means “and each, every and the whole people of Israel whose name means God prevails and is the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob”, “unto Hebron” or “to Hebron whose name means ‘association’ and was a city in south Judah approximately twenty miles south of Jerusalem and approximately twenty miles (30 km) north of Beersheba and near where Abraham built an altar”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Joshua” departed from “Eglon” along with everyone of the people of “Israel”, and they traveled toward “Hebron”.

The verse goes on to say, “and they fought against it:” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “and they fought” which means “and they, the people of Israel, battled and warred” “against it” or “in opposition to it, Hebron”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Joshua” and the people of “Israel” went to battle in opposition to the city of “Hebron”.

When we think through the words in this verse, we discover the next city, “Hebron”, that was to be conquered by “Joshua” and the people of “Israel”. As before, Joshua and the people of Israel traveled to the border of the city, and lay siege against it. One by one these cities were going to be defeated by “Israel” as they went to battle against the people who lived there. God was fulfilling His promise to the people of Israel, and even as He gave them territory, He desires to have that kind of relationship with us through His Son Jesus who was crucified on the cross for the sins of all mankind and raised from the dead after three days. When we surrender our lives to Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and provide us with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and lead us into areas of our lives that He desires to defeat which are in opposition to Him and His ways. (See John 16:13; Romans 7)

Next time we learn how, “they took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Taking Eglon - Joshua 10:35

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “from Lachish Joshua passed unto Eglon, and all Israel with him; and they encamped against it, and fought against it”, and in chapter ten and verse thirty-five of the book of Joshua, we learn how, “they took it on that day” where we read,

And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.

The verse reads, “And they took it on that day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and they took it” which means “and they, Joshua and the army of Israel, captured and seized it, Eglon” “on that day” or “on that particular sunrise to sunset”, “and smote it” which means “and beat, hit, killed, slayed and destroyed it, Eglon” “with the edge of the sword” or “by the use of the use of the extremity or end belonging to the sharpened knife or cutting instrument”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Joshua and the people of Israel” conquered “Eglon” on that particular “day” and slayed and destroyed it by the used of the sharpened weapon.

The verse goes on to say, “… and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “and all the souls” which means “and each, the whole and every one of the living beings” “that were therein” or “who existed and lived within the city of Eglon” “he utterly destroyed that day” which means “he, Joshua, completely that particular sunrise to sunset” “according to all that he had done” or “in keeping with each, every and the whole acts and deeds that he, Joshua, fashioned, accomplished and performed” “to Lachish” which means “toward Lachish whose name means ‘invincible’ and was a city lying south of Jerusalem on the borders of Simeon and which belonged to the Amorites until conquered by Joshua and allotted to Judah”. Joshua or the writer shared how every one of the living beings within “Eglon” were completely annihilated and exterminated by “Joshua” and the people of “Israel” in the same manner as they did to “Lachish”.

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn how “Joshua” and the people of “Israel” continued to defeat the foes who were in the promise land. “Eglon” was the next city to be destroyed, and even as “Joshua and the people of Israel” defeated “Lachish”, so did they to the people of “Eglon”. Jehovah God was giving the promise land to the people of “Israel” city by city and territory by territory. His desire is to make provisions for every person who will 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, and when we yield our lives to Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and give us His Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth and to help us conquer areas of sin within our souls that affect our lives and our witness of Him. (See John 16:13; Acts 1:8)

Next time we learn how, “Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, unto Hebron”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…