Neville Goddard on Deuteronomy 20:19-20 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Deuteronomy 20 in context

Scripture Focus

19When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege:

20Only the trees which thou knowest that they be not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it be subdued.

Deuteronomy 20:19-20

Biblical Context

During a prolonged siege, you are told not to cut down trees that sustain life; you may remove only trees that do not bear fruit to use for bulwarks.

Neville's Inner Vision

I see the 'city' as a state of consciousness you would conquer. The long siege is your sustained desire; the trees are your life-energy, habits, and thoughts. 'The tree of the field is man's life' means your vitality is not to be sacrificed for a temporary win. In this view, you keep intact the life-root—the I AM presence—while you prune away thoughts and actions that drain you or misdirect you toward victory at any cost. The bulwarks you build are not stone walls but mental laws: disciplined attention, refusal to compromise your inner health, and a steady, imaginative act that keeps your aim vivid without destroying the inner source of life. When you honor the life within, you realize that the kingdom you seek is already present as awareness; the outer result follows from your consistent inner state. The outer siege becomes surrounding your inner reality with love and clarity, not a war against life. The victory is begun in consciousness and completed by the felt sense of I AM within.

Practice This Now

Imaginative Act: Assume the feeling, 'I AM Life' and revise anything that would drain my vitality. Then picture bulwarks of inner light protecting my life as the outer plan unfolds.