Neville Goddard on 1 Samuel 24:16-22 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read 1 Samuel 24 in context

Scripture Focus

16And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.

17And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.

18And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the LORD had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not.

19For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the LORD reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.

20And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand.

21Swear now therefore unto me by the LORD, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father's house.

22And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the hold.

1 Samuel 24:16-22

Biblical Context

David speaks to Saul, Saul acknowledges David's righteousness, laments his own actions, and foresees David's kingship; they vow to protect each other’s lineage, and David departs with his men.

Neville's Inner Vision

To David's words the Saul figure within the mind weeps and confesses a truth: this forgiveness emerges from the higher self while the old fear clings to separation. When the sense of the Lord delivering Saul into David's hand and David resisting judgment occurs, the inner ruler chooses mercy over retaliation, proving power is a seed planted by mercy. The kingdom promised to David is the inner kingdom—the state of awareness in which the I AM recognizes itself as king and declares the kingdom shall be established in its own hand. The oath represents the continuity of consciousness—the vow to preserve the line of vitality and memory that would otherwise be slain by resentment. Here the adversary is disarmed not by force, but by the will to reward good and transform evil into unity. Thus the outer scene mirrors an inner covenant: the king in you appears and the old self yields to peace.

Practice This Now

Imaginative Act: Close your eyes, assume the kingly self is awake within you, and feel the oath kept as your sovereign promise; revise any memory of conflict by affirming the true, unified kingdom now present.