Neville Goddard on 1 Kings 12:16-20 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read 1 Kings 12 in context

Scripture Focus

16So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents.

17But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.

18Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.

19So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.

20And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.

1 Kings 12:16-20

Biblical Context

Israel rejects David and departs to their tents. The king's rule splits, and only the tribe of Judah remains loyal to David's line.

Neville's Inner Vision

Within the scriptural scene, outward politics are the reverberation of inner life. The departure to tents is the mind turning from the central king—the I AM—toward fragmented identities and the lure of the outer world. David's throne endures only when the inner king remains awake; when the people refuse the call to obedience, they reveal a consciousness divided within itself. Rehoboam and Jeroboam are inner images, born from fear, pride, and the belief that sovereignty can be shared with external power. The phrase 'departed unto their tents' whispers that your attention has slipped from the one throne inside to many tents of opinion. Yet Jeroboam's rise lives only as a memory of a mind divided. Your life, Neville teaches, is the theatre of your inner life; you reign where you imagine you reign. Reconcile the split by choosing the I AM as the sole ruler, feel the weight of that crown, and watch the outer scene rearrange to reflect that inner consent.