Neville Goddard on 1 Samuel 14:1-13 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read 1 Samuel 14 in context

Scripture Focus

1Now it came to pass upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison, that is on the other side. But he told not his father.

2And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men;

3And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD's priest in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone.

4And between the passages, by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines' garrison, there was a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.

5The forefront of the one was situate northward over against Michmash, and the other southward over against Gibeah.

6And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.

7And his armourbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart.

8Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto these men, and we will discover ourselves unto them.

9If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them.

10But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up: for the LORD hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us.

11And both of them discovered themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves.

12And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up after me: for the LORD hath delivered them into the hand of Israel.

13And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armourbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his armourbearer slew after him.

1 Samuel 14:1-13

Biblical Context

Jonathan and his armor-bearer secretly approach the Philistine garrison to test if the Lord will help. They reveal themselves, trust the sign, and strike down the guards.

Neville's Inner Vision

Jonathan's move is not a mere military gamble but a conscious experiment in the state of mind. He embodies the I AM within, and the armor-bearer is the loyal aspect of your consciousness that answers, 'I am with thee according to thy heart.' The uncircumcised Philistines are your fears and self-imposed limitations; the rocks Bozez and Seneh mark the inner boundaries you have set, the points where you cry, 'We cannot,' unless a higher impulse is invoked. When Jonathan says, 'there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few,' he is naming the law of your inner life: the divine power operates through belief, not through numbers. The sign—if they bid him come up—becomes a cue you will rise to the challenge. Their ascent and the swift victory demonstrate that once your inner state aligns with divine intention, outward conditions bow to your will. The outer event mirrors your inner decision; by changing what you assume to be true about yourself, you change what appears in your world.

Practice This Now

Close your eyes and declare: 'I am the I AM, and I have already overcome this fear.' Then, in your mind, take one small, decisive action toward your goal as if the victory is already won.