Neville Goddard on 1 Kings 13:4-6 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read 1 Kings 13 in context

Scripture Focus

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.

1 Kings 13:4-6

Biblical Context

Jeroboam’s outstretched hand against the man of God withers, the altar shakes, and the king pleads for mercy. The miracle occurs when prayer accompanies a transformative inner turning.

Neville's Inner Vision

Imagine, now, that the man of God is the clear I AM within you, and Jeroboam is a state of consciousness that reaches outward in fear and control. When that arm of demand is stretched forth against Truth, it dries up because the inner life withdraws its center from attention. The sign on the altar—the tearing and pouring out of ashes—speaks of a former state falling away as you refuse to identify with sharp judgments and external appearances. The king’s cry is your moment of acknowledgment: 'Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God' is not for a distant deity, but a turning of your attention back to the only Power you own—the awareness that you are. When the man of God prays, you are invited to lift your own prayer into the I AM, and the effect is restoration: the arm returns to its natural strength, the altar stands intact, and the sense of separation dissolves back into unity. This is the mercy of divine self-recognition: healing follows when you insist on the truth of your inner state.

Practice This Now

Imagine the I AM sending its healing touch into your own hand, and feel the withering dissolve as your life force returns. Then revise any outward scene by affirming, 'This is restored now,' and dwell in the feeling of wholeness until it is real to you.