Neville Goddard on Ecclesiastes 7:16-17 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Ecclesiastes 7 in context

Scripture Focus

16Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself ?

17Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?

Ecclesiastes 7:16-17

Biblical Context

The verse warns against extremes: do not cling to righteousness or to wisdom to the exclusion of life. Moderation preserves life and keeps you open to possibility.

Neville's Inner Vision

Ecclesiastes 7:16-17 appears as a gentle correction to the ego: you are not to cling to a fixed righteousness nor to chase a counterfeit wisdom. In Neville's terms, each extreme is a state of consciousness you inhabit — an image of yourself you feed with thought. When you identify with righteousness or 'over wise' you narrow your life to a harsh self-image, and internal life suffers as you deny possibility. When you indulge wickedness or foolishness, you rebel against the life you are, and your body follows the mood of your inner climate. The healing stance is to soften the grip, refuse to resist life to death, and align with the I AM that sustains balance. By assuming you are already harmonious, you awaken that harmony as your daily experience. This is not a license to abandon discernment, but a call to let imagination steward your self-image toward unity, so life flows through every moment without drying up beneath rigid judgment.

Practice This Now

Imaginative Act: Sit quietly, breathe, and assume the feeling: I AM balance in all I think, say, and do. Revise every extreme self-image as a passing thought, and feel the steadiness of wholeness settling into your chest.