Neville Goddard on Deuteronomy 13:12-16 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Deuteronomy 13 in context

Scripture Focus

12If thou shalt hear say in one of thy cities, which the LORD thy God hath given thee to dwell there, saying,

13Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known;

14Then shalt thou enquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought among you;

15Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword.

16And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again.

Deuteronomy 13:12-16

Biblical Context

The passage describes discovering in a city the presence of those who serve other gods and, if proven true, utterly destroying that city and its spoil. It underscores the seriousness of turning away from the Lord and of maintaining holiness and separation from idolatry.

Neville's Inner Vision

Beloved, the verse is not a historical directive about cities but a symbol of your inner landscape. The city represents your state of consciousness; the 'children of Belial' are the stubborn beliefs and pictured gods that lure you from the I AM within. When you hear of such abominations arising in you, you are summoned to inquire and search diligently—inner discernment, not punishment. To 'smite' the inhabitants is to cut away the old thought-forms that sustain the idol; to 'destroy it utterly' is to release the energy they feed and reveal their emptiness. The 'spoil' gathered in the street are the fruits you once valued from fear, pride, or attachment; burning the city with fire is the purification by awareness until that pattern cannot be rebuilt. The final line proclaims the Lord thy God—your true self, the I AM—as the enduring presence. Through the fiery clarity of consciousness, idolatry dissolves and holy unity remains as your natural condition.

Practice This Now

Close your eyes and imagine a city within your mind where a rumor of other gods arises. Assume, 'I AM the Lord of this consciousness; idols dissolve,' and feel the old belief crumble and vanish.