I have stolen the title of this exposition from the RSV rendering of David’s words in 2 Samuel 4:9. There David uses an oath formula and calls on Yahweh ‘who has redeemed my life out of every adversity’. This was no flippant remark. Anyone who reads 1 Samuel 18–31 understands it. This formula, however, does not describe a mere stage or segment of David’s life but his whole life. His statement in 2 Samuel 4:9 comes during his early reign in Hebron, but he uses the very
Page 9