Those of us who grew up in church often learned bible stories as children that were told in imaginative ways that were engaging for the children who were listening. It helped foster a sense of excitement or interest in scripture, which was a great thing! Unfortunately, too often we failed to revisit those stories through an adult lens, which causes us to miss the extraordinary depth contained in these stories. They were chosen for us not just because they were exciting, but because they possessed incredible and memorable meaning.

The Fall of Jericho is a great example. The power of the story isn’t the manner in which the city fell, although that’s the part that we (and our kid-counterparts) are drawn toward. Rather, the power of the story is God’s desire not only to make a way forward for his people, but His commitment to protect them as they move into a new future.