Neville Goddard on Genesis 21:22-34 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Genesis 21 in context

Scripture Focus

22And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest:

23Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.

24And Abraham said, I will swear.

25And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.

26And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day.

27And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.

28And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.

29And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?

30And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.

31Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware both of them.

32Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.

33And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.

34And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.

Genesis 21:22-34

Biblical Context

Abimelech and Phichol tell Abraham that God is with him and ask him to swear honesty. They seal a covenant over a disputed water well, naming Beersheba as witness while Abraham continues to dwell in the Philistine land.

Neville's Inner Vision

Imagine you are Abraham, and the voice says, God is with thee in all that thou doest. This is no distant contract but an inner vow of the I AM: I promise myself to live truthfully, since the inner Presence is with me in every act. The quarrel over the well shows how inner movements clash when life is rushing; yet when I place seven witness lambs, I am naming the seven faculties of mind—memory, reason, imagination, faith, will, perception, and choice—as witnesses to the digging of my inner well. Beersheba becomes the sanctuary of awareness where I call on the LORD, the everlasting God, and declare that my faith inhabits the land of appearances. The outer Philistines’ land stands for form and time; inside, I remain in covenant, planting a grove of steadfastness and abiding in the present awareness of God. This is the revelation: the covenant you seek is already within you, enduring as your I AM, if you dwell there in consciousness.

Practice This Now

Imaginative act: Close your eyes and affirm, 'God is with me in all I do.' Visualize Beersheba as your inner sanctuary, place seven clear tokens as witnesses to your inner well, and feel the truth of the oath as a present reality.