Neville Goddard on 1 Kings 13:1-19 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read 1 Kings 13 in context

Scripture Focus

1And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.

2And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.

3And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.

4And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.

5The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.

6And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.

7And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.

8And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place:

9For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.

10So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.

11Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.

12And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah.

13And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon,

14And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.

15Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.

16And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:

17For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.

18He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.

19So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.

1 Kings 13:1-19

Biblical Context

An unnamed prophet from Judah pronounces against Jeroboam's altar at Bethel and performs a sign that tears the altar and pours out the ashes; the king's hand withers and is restored after prayer. A Bethel prophet deceives the man of God into eating and drinking, violating the LORD's command.

Neville's Inner Vision

Bethel in a Neville vision is a state of mind clinging to outward forms; Jeroboam represents the ego seeking control, while the man of God embodies the I AM speaking the LORD’s truth. The sign against the altar shows a worn pattern being exposed, the ashes pouring out a release from old attachments. The king's withered hand and its restoration reveal that true power comes from alignment with inner life, not force. The offer to return and eat is the ego inviting the old self to reign; the lying prophet is a deceptive inner voice that pretends authority but contradicts the higher word. The faithful response is to refuse nourishment to the old self and stay with the WORD within. The lesson of the tale is that, when you hold the inner vow and trust the inner command, you transmute outward appearances into the reality of your God-realized life.

Practice This Now

Assume the state: I am the word of the LORD in me. In stillness, revise any impulse that would seduce you back to the old form and feel it-real that you are now aligned with the inner command.