Neville Goddard on 1 Kings 20:22-23 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read 1 Kings 20 in context

Scripture Focus

22And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.

23And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.

1 Kings 20:22-23

Biblical Context

A prophet warns the king of an approaching attack and urges preparation; the Syrians claim their power comes from hill-dominated terrain, revealing reliance on external factors rather than inner truth.

Neville's Inner Vision

In this tale, the king stands for a current state of consciousness facing recurring tests. The prophet embodies your inner I AM, prompting you to 'strengthen thyself' by fixing attention on a definite inner state rather than external schemes. The 'return of the year' signals repeated opportunities to prove what you truly believe; the Syrians' boast that their gods are 'gods of the hills' exposes beliefs that power resides in favorable conditions or terrain. When you grant power to the hills, you project strength onto circumstances, while your real power lies in the I AM within. The instruction to 'mark, and see what thou doest' invites you to observe your thoughts and habits under pressure and to revise them. The apparent plain—the ordinary world of events—becomes a stage for choosing where you place faith: in external odds or in the permanent presence of consciousness. If you align with I AM as the sovereign source, no external army can overthrow your inner sovereignty.

Practice This Now

Imaginative Act: Sit quietly and assume the feeling 'I am the strength of God within me' as if true now; revise any fear by repeating this state until it settles, then picture yourself calmly meeting the moment without trembling.