Neville Goddard on Acts 13:17-23 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Acts 13 in context

Scripture Focus

17The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it.

18And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.

19And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot.

20And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.

21And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.

22And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

23Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:

Acts 13:17-23

Biblical Context

Acts 13 recounts how God chose Israel’s fathers, brought them from Egypt, and guided them through the wilderness. It traces the rise of kings and prophets and declares that the promised Savior, Jesus, comes from David's line.

Neville's Inner Vision

Act 13:17-23 is not a distant history; it is God’s activity inside your own consciousness. The God of this people is the I AM that you are; He chose your inner fathers and exalted your awareness when you dwell as strangers in the land of limitation. The forty years of wilderness are your periods of purifying storms, during which your old weather-beaten manners are dissolved. When He destroyed seven nations in Canaan and divided the land, He is describing the inner clearing of seven distinct states you no longer identify with, and the allocation of your energies to new convictions. The judges for four hundred and fifty years symbolize patient discernment within you until Samuel—the prophetic faculty—appears, guiding you to a higher form of life. The desire for a king represents your longing for control, which God permits only to point you toward true sovereignty: David, a man after His own heart, who shall fulfill all His will. From this man’s seed, God raised a Savior, Jesus—the Christ within your own being. So the story becomes a map of how your awareness moves from bondage to liberation as you align with the I AM and awaken the Kingdom within.

Practice This Now

Imaginative Act: In a quiet moment, assume, 'I AM is guiding my life now.' Revise a present limitation by imagining you are stepping out of it under a high arm and into the land of your inner kingdom; feel the shift as if already true.