Neville Goddard on 2 Samuel 20:16-22 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read 2 Samuel 20 in context

Scripture Focus

16Then cried a wise woman out of the city, Hear, hear; say, I pray you, unto Joab, Come near hither, that I may speak with thee.

17And when he was come near unto her, the woman said, Art thou Joab? And he answered, I am he. Then she said unto him, Hear the words of thine handmaid. And he answered, I do hear.

18Then she spake, saying, They were wont to speak in old time, saying, They shall surely ask counsel at Abel: and so they ended the matter.

19I am one of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel: thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel: why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of the LORD?

20And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.

21The matter is not so: but a man of mount Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against David: deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall.

22Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and cast it out to Joab. And he blew a trumpet, and they retired from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.

2 Samuel 20:16-22

Biblical Context

A wise woman in Abel speaks to Joab, appealing to Israel's peace and righteous discernment. The city answers with measured action, removing the threat and restoring order without needless destruction.

Neville's Inner Vision

Within the scene I am the I AM, the city is the field of my awareness, and Joab is the old habit of force that would swallow what is sacred. The wise woman embodies a disciplined state of consciousness that remembers the ancient counsel: seek wisdom where truth is weighed. When Joab steps near, the inner counselor invites him to hear not with anger but with righteousness—deliver the rebellious thought, not the whole inheritance of the Lord. The people of the city answer with collective discernment, and the inner perception acts to sever the threat, just as they cast off Sheba's head from the wall. The trumpet blown by Joab becomes an inner declaration of peace, a return to the king within, to the I AM that renews all. This is not about external politics but about inner alignment: unity and discernment preserve the true inheritance. The decisive move is to meet aggression with wise counsel, then to release the obstructing thought so the mind returns to its sovereign purpose.

Practice This Now

Imaginative_act: Close your eyes and assume the wise inner counselor speaks to the impulsive thought as Joab; feel it real that the city resolves the issue by wise discernment, trimming away the threat and returning to the king.