The Word for Today with Ray

Sunday, May 31, 2026

Gibeon Sending to Joshua - Joshua 10:6

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it”, and in chapter ten and verse six of the book of Joshua, we learn how “the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal” where we read,

And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not your hand from your servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.

The verse reads, “And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not your hand from your servants;” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “and the men of Gibeon” which means “and the male human beings belonging 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” “sent unto Joshua” or “appealed to Joshua whose name means Jehovah is salvation” “to the camp to Gilgal” which means “toward the encampment in 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 and was later used for illicit worship”, “saying” or “uttering, declaring and proclaiming”, “Slack not your hand” which means “do not relax, let drop or be disheartened with your, Joshua’s, power, might and authority” “from your servants” or “separate and apart from your, Joshua’s, slaves, bondmen and men of servile condition”. Joshua or the writer shared how the male human beings from “Gibeon” appealed to “Joshua” who was located in the encampment of “Gilgal” and told him not to allow themselves to relax from their men of servile condition.

The verse continues, “come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.” Joshua or the writer added the words, “come up to us quickly” which means “shoot forth, arise and ascend to us, the men of Gibeon, in a hurried and fast manner”, “and save us” or “and rescue and deliver us, the men of Gibeon”, “and help us” which means “and succor, support and give us, the men of Gibeon, assistance and aid”: “for all the kings” or “on behalf of each, every, the whole and everyone of the royal rulers and leaders” “of the Amorites” which means “belonging to the Amorites whose name means a sayer” “that dwell in the mountains” or “and live, abide and inhabit within the risings above the plains or hill country” “are gathered together against us” which means “are assembled and collected with one another in opposition to us, the men of Gibeon”. Joshua or the writer shared how the “men of Gibeon” desired for “Joshua” and his army to arise and ascend to them in a hurried manner to rescue them and give them aid and assistance because every one of the royal rulers belonging to the “Amorites” who live in the ranges of hills were assembled in opposition to them.

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we see how the “men of Gibeon” knew to go to Joshua for help and aid. They were not strong enough to fight the five royal rulers of the “Amorites”, however, Joshua and the people of Israel had God alongside them. We shall see how this story unfolds in our next few verses, but for now, let us consider how the “men of Gibeon” knew “Joshua” could help them. God was indeed with the people of Israel, and He will be with every person who yields their life to His Son Jesus who was sent into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was raised from the dead after three days. God will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and be our defense according to His Divine purpose and will any time opposing foes rise up against us.

Next time we learn how “Joshua ascended from Gilgal”, 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".

Five Kings Gathering Together - Joshua 10:5

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “it came to pass, when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; And they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty. Wherefore Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying, Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel”, and in chapter ten and verse five of the book of Joshua, we learn how “the five kings of the Amorites … gathered themselves together” where we read,

Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.

The verse reads, “Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “therefore the five kings” which means “wherefore, then and on this account the five royal rulers and leaders” “of the Amorites” or “belonging to the Amorites whose name mean a sayer”, “the king of Jerusalem” which means “the royal ruler and leader belonging to Jerusalem whose name means teaching of peace and is the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split”, “the king of Hebron” or “the royal ruler and leader belonging 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”, “the king of Jarmuth” which means “the royal ruler and leader belonging to Jarmuth whose name means heights and was a Canaanitish city in the lowlands of Judah with a king and located between Hebron and Lachish”. Joshua or the writer shared how the five royal rulers of “Jerusalem, Hebron and Jarmuth” along with two others did the following.

The verse goes on to say, “… the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “the king of Lachish” which means “the royal ruler and leader of Lachish whose name means invincible and is 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”, “the king of Eglon” or “the royal ruler and leader belonging to Eglon whose name means calf-like and is a royal city in Canaan that opposed the conquest; located in the low lands of Judah”, “gathered themselves together” which means “collected and assembled their own selves with one another”, “and went up” or “and shot forth and ascended”, “they and all their hosts” which means “they, the five royal rulers, and each, every, the whole and everyone of their, the five kings, troops and armies”, “and encamped before Gibeon” or “and pitched tents and lay siege in front and in the presence of 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”, “and made war against it” which means “and waged battle and fighting in opposition to it, Gibeon”. Joshua or the writer shared how the royal rulers of “Lachish and Eglon” assembled with the other three royal rulers, and they all ascended along with their armies to lay siege in opposition to “Gibeon”.

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn how the five Canaanites royal rulers assembled themselves with one another along with their armies, ascended to the front of the “Gibeon” and lay siege in opposition to it. They were going to battle against them if no one intervened. However, they were without the knowledge of Jehovah God aligning with the people of Israel, and rather than defeat them one at a time, God gathered these pagan “kings” together in one place. We shall see more about this in our next verses, but for now, let us consider that God also knows our future and our foes as well. He loves us, and He proved His love toward us when He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind. When He raised Him from the dead after three days, He made the way through faith and trust in Him to be forgiven of our sins, granted everlasting life and provided with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and go before us any time opposition rises up against us in battle. (See Ephesians 6:12)

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

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Come and Help Me - Joshua 10:4

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “it came to pass, when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; And they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty. Wherefore Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying, …”, and in chapter ten and verse four of the book of Joshua, we learn how, Adonizedek said, “Come up unto me, and help me” where we read,

Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon:

for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.

The verse reads, “Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon:” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “come up unto me” which means “rise, ascend and shoot forth toward me, Adonizedek”, “and help me” or “and succor, support, give aid and assistance” to me, Adonizedek”, “that we may smite Gibeon” which means “so we, Adonizedek and the other kings, might hit, beat, slay and kill 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 “Adonizedek” appealed to the four Canaanite kings to ascend toward him and give him aid so they together might strike and kill “Gibeon”.

The verse continues, “for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.” Joshua or the writer added the words, “for it has made peace” which means “because, since and on account that it, Gibeon, has caused and formed a covenant of calm, soundness, safety and tranquility” “with Joshua” or “alongside of Joshua whose name means Jehovah is salvation” “and with the children of Israel” which means “and alongside and accompanying 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”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Adonizedek” told the four other Canaanite kings that “Gibeon” formed an alliance and covenant with “Joshua” and the offspring of “Israel”.

When we think through the words in this verse, we see how “Adonizedek” desired to have the four other Canaanite royal rulers to go to battle with him against “Gibeon”. He knew Israel was a formidable army, and he needed assistance if he was ever going to conquer them. He failed to factor in Jehovah God who was on Israel’s side, and no army nor group of armies is able to defeat Him. God wants to have this type of relationship with us through His Son Jesus who was crucified on the cross for the sins of the world and resurrected 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 guide us step by step when others rise up against us and Him.

Next time we learn how “the five kings of the Amorites … gathered themselves together”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Adonizedek Sent Word - Joshua 10:3

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “it came to pass, when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them, that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty”, and in chapter ten and verse three of the book of Joshua, we learn how, “Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent” word to other kings, where we read,

Wherefore Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying,

The verse reads, “Wherefore Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “wherefore Adonizedek” which means “therefore, then and on this account Adonizedek whose name means my lord is righteous and was a Canaanite king slain by Joshua” “king of Jerusalem” or “royal ruler and leader belonging to Jerusalem whose name means teaching of peace and is the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split” “sent unto Hoham” which means “appealed to Hoham whose name means whom Jehovah impels” “king of Hebron” or “the royal ruler and leader of 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”, “and unto Piram” which means “and to Piram whose name means like a wild ass and was the Amorite king of Jarmuth at the time of the conquest” “king of Jarmuth” or “royal ruler and leader belonging to Jarmuth whose name means heights and was a Canaanitish city in the lowlands of Judah with a king and located between Hebron and Lachish”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Adonizedek” appealed to surrounding royal rulers among whom were “Hoham, Piram” and the following.

The verse goes on to say, “… and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying,” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “and unto Japhia” which means “and to Japhia whose name means shining and was a town on the border of Zebulun and Issachar perhaps modern Yafa” “king of Lachish” or “royal ruler and leader of 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”, “and unto Debir” which means “and to Debir whose name means sanctuary and was the king of Eglon” “king of Eglon” or “royal ruler and leader belonging to Eglon whose name means calf-like and was a royal city in Canaan that opposed the conquest; located in the low lands of Judah”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Adonizedek” also appealed to “Japhia and Debir” who were royal rulers in Canaan.

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we discover how “Adonizedek” made an appeal to four other royal rulers in the land of Canaan. His idea must have been that a greater number of opponents to Israel would defeat them, however, we shall see how He underestimated the power of Jehovah God who was with Israel. God loves the people of Israel, and He loves us as well. When God 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 to be forgiven of our sins, granted everlasting life and equipped with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and protect and provide for us regardless of how many rise up in opposition to us. (See John 16:13; 1 John 4:4)

Next time we learn how, Adonizedek told the four kings, “Come up unto me, and help me”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Fearing Greatly - Joshua 10:2

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “it came to pass, when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them”, and in chapter ten and verse two of the book of Joshua, we learn how, “they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city” where we read,

That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities,

and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.

The verse reads, “That they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, …” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “that they feared greatly” which means “that they, Aconizedek king of Jerusalem and the people located there, stood in exceedingly afraid, and in awe, reverence and dread”, “because Gibeon” or “since and on account of Gibeon whose name means hill city and was a Levitical city of Benjamin, modern 'el-Jib', which lies five miles or five km from Jerusalem” “was a great city” which means “existed as an abundantly large, important and noble dwelling place or town”, “as one of the royal cities” or “similar and in likeness to particular and certain dominions, reigns, sovereignties and realms”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Adonizedek” and those within his territory were exceedingly afraid since “Gibeon” was a large dwelling place and like one of the dominions and reigns.

The verse continues, “… and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty.” Joshua or the writer added the words, “and because it was greater than Ai” which means “since and on account that it, Gibeon, existed as abundantly larger, more important and more distinguished compared to Ai, Aija, Aiath or Hai 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”, “and all the men thereof” or “and each, the whole and every one of the male human beings” “were mighty” which means “existed as strong, powerful and brave”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Gibeon” was much larger and more important than “Ai”, and every one of their male human beings were powerful and strong.

When we consider the words in this verse, we learn through Joshua or the writer how “Adonizedek” who was the royal ruler in “Jerusalem” became exceedingly afraid at the time he heard about the conquests of Israel over the cities of “Jericho and Ai”, and when “Gibeon”, which was much larger and more important than those cities, made a covenant with Israel, great fear came upon them for their own lives. We should keep in mind that Jehovah God was overseeing all these victories, and regardless of how large, important or powerful a place may be, none are able to defeat God. This same God who was for Israel desires to have a personal relationship with us through His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was raised from the dead after three days. When we submit to 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 assure us that He is with us regardless of the size of the foe who opposes us.

Next time we learn how, “Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent” word to other kings, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Friday, May 29, 2026

When Adonizedek Heard - Joshua 10:1

In the book of Joshua, we learned how the men of Gibeah told Joshua and the people of Israel, “now, behold, we are in you hand: as it seems good and right unto you to do unto us, do. And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not. And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose”, and in chapter ten and verse one of the book of Joshua, we begin to learn what happened, “when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem had heard” where we read,

Now it came to pass, when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;

The verse reads, “Now it came to pass, when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it;” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “now it came to pass” which means “at this time it happened and occurred”, “when Adonizedek” or “at the time and moment Adonizedek whose name means my lord is righteous and was a Canaanite king slain by Joshua” “king of Jerusalem” which means “the royal ruler and leader Jerusalem whose name means teaching of peace and is the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split” “had heard how Joshua” or “had been given the faculty for hearing, perceiving, discerning and understanding that Joshua whose name means Jehovah is salvation” “had taken Ai” which means “had captured, lay hold of and seized Ai, Aija or Hai 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”, “and had utterly destroyed it” or “and had completely banned, exterminated and mutilated it, Ai”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Adonizedek” who was the royal ruler and leader belonging to “Jerusalem” “heard” that “Joshua” seized and completely annihilated “Ai”.

The verse goes on to say, “as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “as he had done to Jericho” which means “even like and similar to the way he, Joshua, had fashioned, accomplished and performed against 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 her king” or “and her, Jericho’s, royal ruler and leader”, “so he had done to Ai” which means “even in likeness to the way he fashioned, accomplished and performed to Ai whose name means heap of ruins” “and her king” or “and her, Ai’s, royal ruler and leader”; “and how the inhabitants of Gibeon” which means “and in which way and manner that the dwellers, abiders and ones who remain in the land of 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” “had made peace with Israel” or “had formed and caused an amends, calm and tranquility with Israel whose name means God prevails and is the name of the descendants and nation of the descendants of Jacob”, “and were among them” which means “and existed in the midst and middle of them, the people of Israel”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Adonizedek” also was aware of how Jehovah God through “Joshua” the people of Israel had utterly destroyed “Jericho and Ai” and how the people of “Gibeon” made a covenant of calm and tranquility with them even though they were in the midst of Israel.

When we think through the words in this verse, we learn how another royal ruler, “Adonizedek” began to be concerned about the conquering of Israel. He was made aware of the conquests of “Joshua and Israel” over “Jericho and Ai”, and he knew about the peace treaty that was made with the men of “Gibeah”. We shall see how “Adonizedek” responds to this information in our next few verses, but for now let us be mindful that the reputation of Jehovah God through the people of Israel was being expanded. God wants everyone to know of His reputation for defeating sin and death, and because we all have sinned and come short of His glory, (See Romans 3:23) God sent His Only Begotten Son Jesus 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 be forgiven of our sins, granted everlasting life and equipped with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and empower us to live in a manner that not only pleases Him, but also spreads His reputation throughout the world.

Next time we begin to learn how Adonizedek and his people, “feared greatly”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…