Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled.2 Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.
False Teachers and True Contentment
Teach and urge these things. 3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, 4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
Fight the Good Fight of Faith
11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” 21 for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.
Grace be with you.

Meditation
God’s grace offers great gain through godliness. Satan wants to distract your focus through feeding discontentedness, robbing gain, by derailing godly direction in your life and love.
 
The Puritan Thomas Boston uses potent imagery when discussing great gain when he writes, “The Turkish sultan, when he intends the death of any of his pashas, invites them to a sumptuous feast, and then causes them to be taken away from the table and strangled: so, Satan gluts men with sinful past times and delights, and then strangles them.” Satan steals godly gain by feeding discontentedness, then seeking to cut off the path whereby we feast on God’s faithfulness.
 
Satan uses false teachers to feed discontentedness, teachers and preachers working for personal gain by feeding pride and cravings for controversy (3-5). They fuel desires to be rich for material gain and ignore the temptation centered on a love of money, the root of all kinds of evil (9-10). Great gain comes only through deep contentedness with God and His grace.
Contentedness comes from a heart satisfied with the covenant presence of God. We are commanded to be content with what we have because of the promise of the presence of Jesus who says, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
Jesus teaches that the location of our treasure reveals our heart’s hope (Matthew 6:21), gauging contentedness and predicting great gain. May we be content to feast only on His graceful presence!
 
Richly Dwelling
-Are you content or are you feeding your desire for materialism, pride, and craving for controversy?
 
-How do the covenant promises, and guaranteed presence of Jesus, lead to a satisfied and content heart?
 
-The grace of God invites you to return to God for true satisfaction, for your greatest gain and His greatest glory. Where do you need to respond to God’s grace by refocusing on Christ and His work?
 
Key Verse
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 

​And I said:
Hear, you heads of Jacob
    and rulers of the house of Israel!
Is it not for you to know justice?--
2     you who hate the good and love the evil,
who tear the skin from off my people
    and their flesh from off their bones,
3 who eat the flesh of my people,
    and flay their skin from off them,
and break their bones in pieces
    and chop them up like meat in a pot,
    like flesh in a cauldron.
4 Then they will cry to the Lord,
    but he will not answer them;
he will hide his face from them at that time,
    because they have made their deeds evil.
5 Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets
    who lead my people astray,
who cry “Peace”
    when they have something to eat,
but declare war against him
    who puts nothing into their mouths.

6 Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision,
    and darkness to you, without divination.
The sun shall go down on the prophets,
    and the day shall be black over them;
7 the seers shall be disgraced,
    and the diviners put to shame;
they shall all cover their lips,
    for there is no answer from God.

8 But as for me, I am filled with power,
    with the Spirit of the Lord,
    and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression
    and to Israel his sin.
9 Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob
    and rulers of the house of Israel,
who detest justice
    and make crooked all that is straight,
10 who build Zion with blood
    and Jerusalem with iniquity.
11 Its heads give judgment for a bribe;
    its priests teach for a price;
    its prophets practice divination for money;
yet they lean on the Lord and say,
    “Is not the Lord in the midst of us?
    No disaster shall come upon us.”
12 Therefore because of you
    Zion shall be plowed as a field;
Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins,
    and the mountain of the house a wooded height.
 
Meditation
True power is discovered in total dependence on God’s Word, work, and Spirit. God’s power is counter-intuitive, discovered in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10), and deployed in sacrifice. Faithful dependency on God for power will lead to fruitful participation in His work.
 
Israel’s leaders misunderstood God’s power and mislead God’s people. Micah’s oracle condemns heads of Judah and rulers of Israel as well as prophets, judges, and teachers. There was corruption in the court, prophets vainly promising peace for profit, and money exchanged for mediums. The incredible corruption diagnosed by Micah called for clear justice from God.
 
Contrary to the crooked leaders, Micah was a prophet filled with the power of God, His word and Spirit. The power of Micah’s demand for justice came only through God’s word and by God’s Spirit.
 
Corrupt leaders look for power in typical places- position, prosperity, and popularity. I understand this temptation and shutter when I see the swift justice Micah promises. Where is hope?
 
Jesus Christ is the true prophet who came as the Word made flesh. Jesus used His power for others, taking the form of a servant, and giving His life as a ransom for many. Jesus satisfied justice and taught that true power is found in being a willing loser for other’s gain, dying for others to live. Jesus demonstrated this with His own life and work, too.
 
Emptying ourselves is the path to true power, in faith, trusting God’s word, work, and Spirit with all our lives. Grace invites you to true power of total Divine dependence.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Where do you look for power? Do you identify more with the corrupt leaders or the dependent prophet?
 
-Why is it difficult to understand the gospel trajectory of power proclaimed by the word and work of Jesus?
 
-How does the reality of gospel power fuel faithfulness in your life and leadership? This is to ask, as you meditate on Christ giving Himself for you, how does this empower you to give your life for others?
 
Key Verse
8 But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.

Be not silent, O God of my praise!
2 For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues.
3 They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.
4 In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.
5 So they reward me evil for good,
and hatred for my love.
6 Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin!
8 May his days be few;
may another take his office!
9 May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow!
10 May his children wander about and beg, seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!
11 May the creditor seize all that he has;
may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!
12 Let there be none to extend kindness to him,
nor any to pity his fatherless children!
13 May his posterity be cut off;
may his name be blotted out in the second generation!
14 May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord,
and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out!
15 Let them be before the Lord continually,
that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth!
16 For he did not remember to show kindness,
but pursued the poor and needy
and the brokenhearted, to put them to death.
17 He loved to curse; let curses come upon him!
He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him!
18 He clothed himself with cursing as his coat;
may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones!
19 May it be like a garment that he wraps around him,
like a belt that he puts on every day!
20 May this be the reward of my accusers from the Lord,
of those who speak evil against my life!
21 But you, O God my Lord,
deal on my behalf for your name's sake;
because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!
22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is stricken within me.
23 I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak through fasting;
my body has become gaunt, with no fat.
25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
when they see me, they wag their heads.
26 Help me, O Lord my God!
Save me according to your steadfast love!
27 Let them know that this is your hand; you, O Lord, have done it!
28 Let them curse, but you will bless! They arise and are put to shame, but your servant will be glad!
29 May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a cloak!
30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the Lord;
I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.
 
Meditation
God’s sovereign care is a stronghold and safe place during seasons of attacked. God’s grace invites you to find security in His steadfast love.
 
David was assaulted, slandered to the point of becoming a shadow and shell (23). Encircled with hate and attacked without cause (2-3) David turns to the Lord for strength. Yes, David articulates prayers of curses for his antagonists (see also Jeremiah 18:19-23) but the humanity of David does not detract from the hope we are offered in the Lord.
 
David was degraded. God was exalted (1). David was put down but committed himself to prayer (4). Does he pray for those attacking him? Does he pray for strength? We do not know. We do know, however, that David trusted the Lord to “deal on (his) behalf for (God’s) name sake, because (God’s) steadfast love is good” (21). David is dependent on God to deliver and looks to God alone to save him from his circumstances (26).
 
David’s confidence in God is so great he prays in past tense- “Oh Lord, you have done it!” (27) David lives in confidence, knowing the venom of enemies is nothing compared to the victory of the Lord (28-29). The mouths of David’s enemies curse. David commits his mouth to “give thanks to the Lord, to praise him in the midst of the throng” (30-31).
 
When we are slandered and attacked, we trust the steadfast and sovereign care of the Lord. God is our stronghold and safe place. We find security in God’s steadfast love!
 
Richly Dwelling
-What is your reaction when you are attacked, assaulted, or slandered? Where do you turn?
 
-David turns to the Lord and in process points to the teaching of Jesus that commands us to turn the other cheek. Why does this sort of step take a greater strength than retaliation?
 
-We can trust the security of God’s steadfast love because of the work of Jesus. Jesus guarantees the love of God is our stronghold and safe place, security when we are slandered. How can you turn to Him? 
 
Key Verse
21 But you, O God my Lord, deal on my behalf for your name's sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!

“When you allot the land as an inheritance, you shall set apart for the Lord a portion of the land as a holy district, 25,000 cubits long and 20,000 cubits broad. It shall be holy throughout its whole extent. 2 Of this a square plot of 500 by 500 cubits shall be for the sanctuary, with fifty cubits for an open space around it. 3 And from this measured district you shall measure off a section 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 broad, in which shall be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. 4 It shall be the holy portion of the land. It shall be for the priests, who minister in the sanctuary and approach the Lord to minister to him, and it shall be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary. 5 Another section, 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits broad, shall be for the Levites who minister at the temple, as their possession for cities to live in.
6 “Alongside the portion set apart as the holy district you shall assign for the property of the city an area 5,000 cubits broad and 25,000 cubits long. It shall belong to the whole house of Israel.
The Portion for the Prince
7 “And to the prince shall belong the land on both sides of the holy district and the property of the city, alongside the holy district and the property of the city, on the west and on the east, corresponding in length to one of the tribal portions, and extending from the western to the eastern boundary 8 of the land. It is to be his property in Israel. And my princes shall no more oppress my people, but they shall let the house of Israel have the land according to their tribes.
9 “Thus says the Lord God: Enough, O princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression, and execute justice and righteousness. Cease your evictions of my people, declares the Lord God.
10 “You shall have just balances, a just ephah, and a just bath. 11 The ephah and the bath shall be of the same measure, the bath containing one tenth of a homer, and the ephah one tenth of a homer; the homer shall be the standard measure. 12 The shekel shall be twenty gerahs; twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels shall be your mina.
13 “This is the offering that you shall make: one sixth of an ephah from each homer of wheat, and one sixth of an ephah from each homer of barley, 14 and as the fixed portion of oil, measured in baths, one tenth of a bath from each cor (the cor, like the homer, contains ten baths). 15 And one sheep from every flock of two hundred, from the watering places of Israel for grain offering, burnt offering, and peace offerings, to make atonement for them, declares the Lord God. 16 All the people of the land shall be obliged to give this offering to the prince in Israel. 17 It shall be the prince's duty to furnish the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the new moons, and the Sabbaths, all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel: he shall provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement on behalf of the house of Israel.
18 “Thus says the Lord God: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a bull from the herd without blemish, and purify the sanctuary. 19 The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and the posts of the gate of the inner court. 20 You shall do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who has sinned through error or ignorance; so you shall make atonement for the temple.
21 “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall celebrate the Feast of the Passover, and for seven days unleavened bread shall be eaten. 22 On that day the prince shall provide for himself and all the people of the land a young bull for a sin offering. 23 And on the seven days of the festival he shall provide as a burnt offering to the Lord seven young bulls and seven rams without blemish, on each of the seven days; and a male goat daily for a sin offering. 24 And he shall provide as a grain offering an ephah for each bull, an ephah for each ram, and a hin of oil to each ephah. 25 In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month and for the seven days of the feast, he shall make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, and grain offerings, and for the oil.
 
Meditation
God is worshipped by Christians around the world with varying languages, customs, and forms. The first cross-cultural worship service I experienced included different instruments, forms of singing, movement, and different offerings than the tradition I was accustom to. Yet we worshipped the same Jesus Christ, celebrated the same work on the cross, submitted to the same Holy Word, and practiced the same sacraments. The substance of worship triumphs over form.
 
Likewise, Ezekiel is using imagery and language that is familiar and accessible to him and to Israel in order to communicate the substance of what we celebrate as Christians, namely God’s passion for permanent relationship with His people. Israel was in exile. God had not abandoned relationship. God wanted to communicate permanence to His presence and commitment to personal relationship through the prophet Ezekiel. To the Old Testament people of God this included sacrificial regulations, sabbath direction, annual festivals, and the like. For Christians the permanence and personal relationship is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
 
Formally, God spoke by the prophets. Ultimately God speaks through the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2). Jesus is the greater temple that Ezekiel could not see. Ezekiel could not know the sacrifice of Jesus, permanence offered “by one single offering perfecting for all time those being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). Ezekiel uses distant language and rituals but communicates the same hope- God is committed to permanent relationship with His people.
 
May our hearts celebrate the substance: God is committed to personal relationship with His people!
 
Richly Dwelling
-Why does cultural distance and difference not water down the substance of Christian worship? Have you experienced this? If so, when?
 
-How does it make you feel that God is committed to a permenant personal relationship with His people? How is this unique among world views and religions?
 
-Jesus is the guarantee of this permanence, the substance of the New Covenant. How can you celebrate through running toward relationship with Jesus?
 
Key Verse
20 You shall do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who has sinned through error or ignorance; so you shall make atonement for the temple.

And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also masons and carpenters to build a house for him. 2 And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that his kingdom was highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.
3 And David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David fathered more sons and daughters. 4 These are the names of the children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 5 Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, 6 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 7 Elishama, Beeliada and Eliphelet.
Philistines Defeated
8 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went out against them. 9 Now the Philistines had come and made a raid in the Valley of Rephaim. 10 And David inquired of God, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up, and I will give them into your hand.” 11 And he went up to Baal-perazim, and David struck them down there. And David said, “God has broken through[a] my enemies by my hand, like a bursting flood.” Therefore the name of that place is called Baal-perazim. 12 And they left their gods there, and David gave command, and they were burned.
13 And the Philistines yet again made a raid in the valley. 14 And when David again inquired of God, God said to him, “You shall not go up after them; go around and come against them opposite the balsam trees. 15 And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then go out to battle, for God has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.” 16 And David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army from Gibeon to Gezer. 17 And the fame of David went out into all lands, and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations.
 
Meditation
God’s anointed King blesses his followers. King Jesus blesses Christians in many ways, not least of which includes bringing the enemy into submission (Colossians 2:15), increasing Kingdom family (Matthew 28:18-20), and the furthering of God’s glory among the nations (Philippians 2:9-11). We must rejoice in the blessings of our King!
 
The blessings of King David are a foretaste of the blessings of King Jesus. David’s rule was blessed by subduing nations and receiving tribute (1-2), his family increasing (3-6), and the defeat of his enemies to extend the glory of the king (7-17). The Lord blessed David. The Lord fought for David. Jerusalem and all of Israel were blessed through the success of David’s leadership.
 
Like the story of David, Christians know there is more to come in Christ’s rule and reign. The blessing of God “broke through” (11) to David and would continue for decades of his reign. Likewise, the blessings of King Jesus will be fully realized when Jesus returns at the second coming. Until that day Christians must celebrate the “already” reality of the blessings of King Jesus.
 
Embracing the blessings of the King means we trust King Jesus with all our heart. We trust that the enemy is defeated by living FROM victory. We trust the Kingdom family will grow by making disciples. We trust God’s glory will advance in our neighborhoods and among the nations by loving as we have been loved. God’s anointed King blesses His followers! And we must rejoice in His blessings.
 
Richly Dwelling
-How does God bless you through the rule and reign of King Jesus?
 
-How are the blessings of both David and King Jesus a foretaste of what is to come?
 
-What does it look like for you to rejoice in the “already” blessings of Jesus today? Be specific.
 
Key Verse
17 And the fame of David went out into all lands, and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, Any one of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. 3 I myself will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given one of his children to Molech, to make my sanctuary unclean and to profane my holy name. 4 And if the people of the land do at all close their eyes to that man when he gives one of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death, 5 then I will set my face against that man and against his clan and will cut them off from among their people, him and all who follow him in whoring after Molech.
6 “If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. 7 Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8 Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 9 For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him.
Punishments for Sexual Immorality
10 “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. 11 If a man lies with his father's wife, he has uncovered his father's nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. 12 If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed perversion; their blood is upon them. 13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. 14 If a man takes a woman and her mother also, it is depravity; he and they shall be burned with fire, that there may be no depravity among you. 15 If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal. 16 If a woman approaches any animal and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
17 “If a man takes his sister, a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace, and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered his sister's nakedness, and he shall bear his iniquity. 18 If a man lies with a woman during her menstrual period and uncovers her nakedness, he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from among their people. 19 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister or of your father's sister, for that is to make naked one's relative; they shall bear their iniquity. 20 If a man lies with his uncle's wife, he has uncovered his uncle's nakedness; they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. 21 If a man takes his brother's wife, it is impurity.[b] He has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.
You Shall Be Holy
22 “You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. 23 And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them. 24 But I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples. 25 You shall therefore separate the clean beast from the unclean, and the unclean bird from the clean. You shall not make yourselves detestable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground crawls, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. 26 You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.
27 “A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.”
 
Meditation
God’s covenant love welcomes you to experience His covenant blessings in Christ. Jesus took the curse of the covenant so all who have faith can experience covenant blessings (Galatians 3:10-14). Jesus was cut off for our sin so we can be welcomed in (Isaiah 53:8). Jesus died so all who trust His work can live (2 Corinthians 5:15). Leviticus 18-19 focused on laws to be obeyed. Chapter 20 unpacks penalties to be paid. The gospel is the GOOD NEWS that Jesus paid it all! Grace frees us to embrace God’s covenant blessings in Christ.
 
Sin is a serious issue. “The wages of sin is death,” writes Paul (Romans 6:23). Moses writes in Leviticus that the wages of sin is death, being cut off, and having your genealogy come to an end. Moses addresses the sins of worshipping in the way of the culture, sacrificing children, sexual immorality, dishonoring parents, and practicing divination. Sin is serious, must be addressed, and the penalty must be paid.
 
God is holy and His grace makes us His people. After salvation we are free for imitation- “Be holy as I am Holy,” says the Lord (26-27). When we reject God’s grace and embrace the ways of the culture, we forfeit the beauty and joy of God’s covenant blessings. God’s covenant love welcomes you to experience His covenant blessings in Christ Jesus.
 
Richly Dwelling
-Why is it necessary to highlight the severity of sin? How does the repetition of penalties drive this reality home?
 
-How does the fact of Jesus’s faithfulness on your behalf, paying the penalty for your sin, drive you to respond with obedience?
 
-After salvation, imitation! When we know God’s grace we will grow in being holy as God is Holy. How can you grow in godliness today? be specific.
 
Key Verse
26 You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.