Neville Goddard on Ezra 4:1-3 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Ezra 4 in context

Scripture Focus

1Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;

2Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.

3But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.

Ezra 4:1-3

Biblical Context

Ezra 4:1-3 shows adversaries offering to help rebuild the temple, but the leaders refuse and vow to build it themselves. The passage points to inner obedience: true worship comes from within, not from relying on external allies or approvals.

Neville's Inner Vision

To Ezra’s scene I say: the adversaries are not persons but the restless states of mind that doubt you can hold the image of God by yourself. The children of captivity are your awakened I, the temple within you, and the task to build the temple is a spiritual state of consciousness. When these inner voices offer alliance, they reveal their true aim: to keep you dependent on old forms. The rulers’ reply—'you have nothing to do with us to build'—is the inward sign to abandon borrowed methods and align with your inner governor. 'We ourselves together will build' becomes a law: you build by your own assumption, by the inner command of the I AM. As Cyrus commanded outwardly, so your inner God commands inwardly. The structure rises as you assume the temple already exists in you, feeling its walls, its sanctity, your unity with the divine. Practice the simplicity: dwell as the house of God and let the doubt fall away.

Practice This Now

Sit in quiet and assume you are the temple of the LORD—the house of God—built by your I AM. Feel it real now and let any doubt dissolve as you dwell there.