Neville Goddard on 1 Kings 21:15-24 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read 1 Kings 21 in context

Scripture Focus

15And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.

16And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

17And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

18Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.

19And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.

20And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.

21Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,

22And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.

23And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.

24Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.

1 Kings 21:15-24

Biblical Context

Jezebel arranges Naboth's murder to seize his vineyard, and Ahab moves to claim it. The LORD then sends Elijah with a judgment against Ahab and his lineage.

Neville's Inner Vision

To Neville, the ancient scene is not about Naboth at all, but about states of consciousness in you. Naboth's vineyard is your present field of awareness—what you allow to exist as truth within your inner life. Jezebel's plot to stone Naboth and seize the vineyard signifies the pull of fear, appetite, and rationalization that would usurp your genuine self-ownership. Ahab's rising to possess it is the restless ego trying to enforce a false possession rather than yield to the sustaining presence of I AM. Elijah's message—Hast thou killed, and also taken possession?—appears as your inner voice of truth challenging the thought that you can own reality by force. The warnings that dogs shall lick the blood and the house be cut off are the inner consequences that follow from a mind bent on control apart from covenant. Yet the prophecy can be read as invitation: return to loyalty to your true state of awareness, to the covenant of I AM. When you align with the I AM, the 'vineyard' is already yours, not through domination but through realization; your inner world follows your new assumption.

Practice This Now

Imaginative act: Assume you already possess your desired vineyard now; feel the I AM directing and sustaining it. Silently revisit the inner scene until the sense of possession feels real and unshakable.