pastorate I preached ‘The path to spiritual depression’ from this passage and offered useful psychological advice baptized in biblical narrative. But I have repented. And I have dragged you through pages arguing for a more excellent way. But does it all make any difference? Does the chapter provide teaching or only stir debate? Hence we must move on to the teaching and preaching points of the text, and I propose that our ‘covenantal’ interpretation yields richer applications than the usual ‘psychological’