Exegesis without Embarrassment
Perhaps you have sung: “Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho.” Perhaps you remember the song’s chorus: Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho. Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, And the walls came tumbling down! The song is a lot of fun for kids, as it gives them an excuse to march around the living room and simulate the fall of Jericho’s walls with hand motions. It is also a good way to impress on their young minds the basic truths of one of the most famous stories in the Old Testament. In fact, I would venture to say that most children who spend any length of time in a church’s educational programs will hear the story of Joshua and Jericho several times over. TELLING THE WHOLE STORY I know that we learned the basics of the fall of Jericho. Who could forget Joshua and the Israelites’ marching around the city once a day for six days, seven times on day seven, and the blowing of the horn and the shout that resulted in the walls’ miraculously falling to the gr...