AS holiness and sin are opposites, so our feeling toward these must be represented by the sentiments of love and hatred. To grow cool in love for righteousness is to lose some of the abhorrence for sin. Let us, therefore, cultivate in ourselves hatred for sin, selfishness, impurity, and every evil way, that we may find it the easier to cultivate in our hearts the beautiful graces of the Spirit.

WHY is the one-talented man chosen as an illustration of these talent-burials? It is to show the responsibility of those who have least–that the Lord expects even the least of His consecrated people to know of and to use the talents he has in his possession, and that He will not hold guiltless even those who have the smallest ability to serve Him and His brethren and His truth, and who neglect to use it.

He cited the Gospel passage about Jesus’ inviting those without sin to cast the first stone toward an adulterer. “While acknowledging her sin, he does not condemn her, but urges her to sin no more,”

The pope said Jesus taught people to “not judge and not condemn one’s neighbor. Let us learn to be intransigent toward sin — starting with our own (sin) — and indulgent with people.”

Judah spoke up again, taking a leading role. His offer was a little different from Reuben’s (Gen. 42:37). Reuben had offered to slay two of his own sons if Benjamin was not brought back, whereas Judah offered his own life. The two sons would be for Benjamin and Simeon. Judah offered his own personal life as a ransom. It is interesting that Jesus is called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Rev. 5:5).

“Except we had lingered….” Jacob had delayed sending his sons to Egypt for more grain until it was an absolute necessity.

Jews have the right to offer animal sacrifices on the Temple Mount under Israeli law, the organization claimed. Israelis are guaranteed the right to freedom of worship, and Israel prides itself in allowing members of all faiths to access their holy sites.

In previous years, the court has ruled that the right to freedom of worship is outweighed by the consideration of public safety, and has forbidden the Paschal sacrifice.

Nowhere in the letter did Benedict address the responsibility of the Vatican itself. Many victims’ groups have criticized the Vatican for not recognizing the depth and scope of the abuse crisis sooner. Nor did he use the term punishment, or spell out any consequences for clergy or bishops who had not upheld canon or civil law. Indeed, he laid blame firmly with Irish Catholic leaders.

As the crisis deepened, the Vatican condemned what it called an aggressive campaign against the pope in Germany.

God told Moses to make a copper serpent transfixed to a pole, the copper picturing perfect humanity. The serpent had to be reasonably large—larger than life-size—in order for the nation to view it. To hold the copper serpent, the pole required a crosspiece. Otherwise, the serpent would circle the pole all the way up, giving the appearance of a barber pole. With the crosspiece at the upper end of the pole and the serpent wrapped around the crosspiece, the result resembled the symbol for medicine, Aesculapius. How interesting, for if those who were bitten looked upon the serpent on the pole, they were cured!

It is a known fact in chemistry that poison is fought with poison. Sometimes medicinal cures even have a skull and crossbones on the outside. The “X” crossbones is a symbol of Christ, and the skull indicates death. Of course the average person does not understand the symbolism, but it has been overruled, just as many places and events have been overruled to teach spiritual lessons. Thus it took death to cure death. The fiery serpents were a curse to whomever they bit, but looking at the brazen serpent, pictured as a curse, had a negating or blocking effect that disannuled the death penalty. In the antitype, the serpent on the cross is Jesus, who said, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up” (John 3:14). The serpent on the pole is probably more representative of Jesus’ death than of his resurrection, for it pictures his crucifixion and his being made a curse upon a tree. God pronounced a malediction on Adam for his sin, and it takes a curse to nullify a curse. A tree brought the curse upon Father Adam, and subsequently the dying race was started in his loins.

Many pointed out the lopsided double standard used by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joseph Biden in harshly condemning Israel’s routine announcement of a zoning approval for new housing in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood in northwestern (mistakenly called east by most of the media) Jerusalem – a three-year-old project.

Their criticism was delivered as the PA government dedicated a public square to the memory of a brutal murderer who in 1979 led the worst terrorist attack in Israel’s history, slaughtering 37 innocent civilians, including children.

Conceivably we could have a much smaller European Union someday. “If they had an EU of 6, 8, 10 countries, it could be a wonderful entity.” Built on that foundation, the euro could then expand organically.

It is hard to say whether Europe or America is in worse shape today. In Europe, some countries are still net creditors to the world, others are debtors. Similarly, in America, some states are technically bankrupt, while others are not in as bad as shape. There are some states in America that are in better shape than some countries in Europe, and vice versa.

“A bright cloud overshadowed them.” This phenomenon was awesome in itself, but then a voice thundered out very majestically, “This is my beloved Son, … hear ye him.” This scene was so impressive that Peter referred to it in his epistle but said that despite its awesomeness and positiveness, the “more sure word of prophecy” was superior (2 Pet. 1:16-19). Do we have such a conviction? Is God’s Word more “sure” to us than if we had witnessed the transfiguration and heard the voice coming from the cloud? We should have the same reverence and respect for the Word of God that Peter had—regardless of the degree of our comprehension.

Being familiar with the account of the bright cloud over the nation of Israel and the Tabernacle in the Wilderness of Sinai, the disciples would have had no difficulty realizing that the message, or voice, came from God. Also, “Hear ye him [Jesus]” was almost like a reprimand, for earlier Peter had been arguing with the Master (Matt. 16:22). Now the Father was saying, “This is my Son. I am well pleased with him. You had better listen to him.” In other words, in listening to Christ, we are really listening to God, for the Son is the true and highest representative of the Father.