STARTING IN THE MIDDLE

      Not every day is a sunny day in Pupperville. Some days it rains and rains and rains. Thursday was one of those days and the Greys found themselves sitting in their easy chairs relaxing, well at least Helen was relaxing. Robert was having trouble relaxing and kept fidgeting around and wondering back and forth looking out the window at the rain.

      “Why can't you just sit still?” Helen finally said, “You're starting to drive me crazy.” “I can't!” Robert said, “I'm bored.” “Well,” Helen said, “What happened to that good book you told me you were reading? You could sit and read that book.” “Uhm,” Robert said, “ I think I spoke to soon about that book being a good book.”

      “What do you mean?” Helen asked. “Well,” Robert went on to explain, “I thought the book was going to be a good one, but I guess titles can be misleading. As it turned out I couldn’t understand anything that was happening in the book so I sort of threw it on the burn pile.”

      “What was the book about?” Helen asked, “Didn't you say it was an old western?” “I thought it was an old western.” Robert replied, “It was called “Trouble on Cactus Hill”, another adventure with the smokin’ gun slinger.” “That sure sound like a western to me.” Helen said in agreement, “So why didn't you understand it?”

      “ When I started reading it,” Robert answered, “I thought there would be some old fashion gun battles between the good guys and bad guys but the chapter I was reading was on building some kind of radio to call for help or something like that.” What chapter was that?” Helen asked. “Oh, I don't know.” Robert said, “It was somewhere toward the middle of the book.”

      “Do you mean to tell me you didn't start at the beginning?” Helen said almost scolding as she said it. “Beginnings are sooooooo boring.” Robert protested, “I always start in the middle.” “So, that's your problem.” Helen said. “You mean the books problem.” Robert said back, “They never make the middle of the books so you can understand them.”

      “Robert!” Helen said in a stern voice, “If you want a book to make sense you need to start at the beginning. If you don’t you’ll miss out on a valuable part of the story.” “I suppose I could try that.” Robert said with a sigh, “ Last week I was reading a book that made no sense and when I looked at the start of the book I found out I was reading the phone book.” “The Phone book!” Helen said in surprise but before she could say more Robert interrupted her. “Don't ask!” He said I suppose I should go dig those books out of the burn pile and try reading that western again. This time I'll start at the beginning.”

      Outside of God, everything has a beginning but if we don't know the beginning we can get things messed up like those who should have know the beginning...

      Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?" And He answered and said, "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, and said, 'FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH'? "So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." They said* to Him, "Why then did Moses command to GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY?" He said* to them, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.

Matthew 19:3-8 (NASB)

      The Pharisees, the ones who should have known what the Bible said, test Jesus on divorce. When Jesus answers he goes to the source they should have know and he takes them back to the beginning, back to Genesis, what we know as the first book of the Bible.

      In Hebrews 5:12 we read You have been Christians a long time now, and you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things a beginner must learn about the Scriptures. You are like babies who drink only milk and cannot eat solid food. (NLT) We need to know the basics, we need to know the beginnings and what better place to begin than in Genesis for there are many things we find beginning in Genesis such as: creation, sin, clothes, marriage, prophesy, judgment, redemption, life and death, people groups, various languages....

      Genesis is often used in the New Testament. Let's look at some of these uses...

• John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (ESV)
• 2 Corinthians 11:3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. (ESV)
• Jude 1:11 Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion. (ESV)
• 1 Peter 3:20 because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. (ESV)
• Matthew 24:37-39 As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (ESV)
• Luke 17:28-32 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot's wife. (ESV)

      And there are many more. From this we can see that the beginning book of the Bible is important and it helps us to explain many things and warn us as well. Over the months to come, Pupperville Ponderings will be focused on the book of beginning to see what we can see, to find things on which to ponder. In the mean time...

      Here's Something To Ponder

• What are somethings that have failed to make sense to you because you missed the beginning?
• Are you able to see how understanding the beginning can affect how we see the ending?