Neville Goddard on 1 Samuel 27:1-12 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read 1 Samuel 27 in context

Scripture Focus

1And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.

2And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath.

3And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife.

4And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him.

5And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee?

6Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.

7And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.

8And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.

9And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned, and came to Achish.

10And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road to day? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites.

11And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines.

12And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.

1 Samuel 27:1-12

Biblical Context

David fears Saul and flees to the land of the Philistines, settling in Ziklag with his men and families, while maintaining a cautious disguise about his true alliances. The story hints that outward moves mirror inner shifts in allegiance and safety.

Neville's Inner Vision

Picture this scene as a map of consciousness. Saul’s pursuit is fear persisting in the mind; David’s crossing into Philistine territory is a deliberate relocation of attention, not a defeat. The land of the Philistines represents a fresh field of awareness where grace can be trusted. Achish appears as a favorable idea in the imagination, granting David a new center—Ziklag—an inner dwelling place already aligned with your true kingdom. By saying, 'If I have now found grace in thine eyes,' David performs the essential Neville act: he revises his situation by assumption, choosing to dwell where he is already provided for, not where danger dictates. The commands of the old land—proclaiming victory in battle against the Israelites—lose their power as the mind accepts a higher picture, a personal allegiance to the Self rather than to fear. Thus the outer events reflect the inner alignment: one is believed, regarded as a servant of a greater ruler, and the sense of security is secured within the heart's imagination.

Practice This Now

Imaginative Act: Close your eyes and say quietly, I am safe now. Picture yourself arriving at a peaceful inner Ziklag, a dwelling the Self grants by grace, and feel the I AM’s favor surrounding you as you rest there.