Neville Goddard on 1 Samuel 22:16-19 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read 1 Samuel 22 in context

Scripture Focus

16And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house.

17And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD: because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD.

18And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod.

19And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

1 Samuel 22:16-19

Biblical Context

Saul orders the killing of Ahimelech and the priests; Doeg carries out the slaughter and Nob is destroyed. The scene exposes how unchecked royal power can distort holiness and harm the innocent.

Neville's Inner Vision

Viewed through the I AM lens, the king is a state of consciousness misidentifying itself as separate from the priestly inner knowers. The priests symbolize your sacred beliefs and inner guidance; Doeg and the sword are the aggressive movements of fear when you forget you are God in action. The line about their hand being with David hints at hidden impulses your ego fears exposing; yet the true you, the witness, is untouched by such drama. When the priests are slain and Nob is smitten, you glimpse the results of identifying with separation instead of the unity of I AM. Neville’s method asks you to reverse the scene by assuming the end: imagine the inner sanctuary remains intact and the king’s decree is nullified by your awareness. Let fear dissolve as you realize you are the I AM, and the sacred counsel within you is inviolable.

Practice This Now

Imaginative_act: Sit quietly, breathe, and affirm: I am that I AM. In my mind, Ahimelech and the priests stand unscathed, the king’s decree disappears, and fear dissolves into light. Visualize the inner altar protected by awareness, and revise the scene until holiness again feels safe inside.