Neville Goddard on 1 Samuel 16:1-3 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read 1 Samuel 16 in context

Scripture Focus

1And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.

2And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD.

3And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.

1 Samuel 16:1-3

Biblical Context

Samuel mourns Saul's rejection; God instructs him to go and anoint a king from Jesse's sons.

Neville's Inner Vision

All the drama of the text is not about geography but the movement of your own consciousness. When God says, 'I have provided me a king among his sons,' He reveals that the king you seek is already present in your inner state. Samuel's fear of Saul's rage is your fear of the old self clinging to control; the remedy is to shift from mourning to a decisive act of inner deliberation: fill your horn with oil—your imagination—and go to the 'Bethlehem of your being' where the willing heart resides. The sacrifice is not blood, but the clearing of old alignments so God can name the one you are to anoint. As you listen for the inner sign 'whom I name unto thee,' you learn that the outer scene merely follows your chosen state. The Kingdom of God, not a person, is a state of awareness that you choose to occupy. You do not seek a king; you awaken him by the certainty you grant to your inner vision.

Practice This Now

Imaginative Act: Assume, 'I am the king of my inner kingdom now,' and feel the oil flowing as confidence in your chosen state. For a few minutes, dwell in that certainty until it feels real.