Neville Goddard on Hosea 3:1-5 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Hosea 3 in context

Scripture Focus

1Then said the LORD unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the LORD toward the children of Israel, who look to other gods, and love flagons of wine.

2So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley:

3And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee.

4For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim:

5Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.

Hosea 3:1-5

Biblical Context

God tells Hosea to love an adulterous wife as a symbol of Israel's infidelity and God’s enduring mercy; He redeems her and promises a future return when the people turn back to the LORD.

Neville's Inner Vision

Let us heed Hosea 3:1-5 as a parable of consciousness. The 'woman beloved of her friend' is the restless thought that tempts me away from the I AM. When the LORD says go and love her, He is instructing me to remain tender toward that aspect of myself, not to condemn it, for the energy that tempts me is guiding my awakening. The 'fifteen pieces of silver' and 'an homer of barley' are the tokens I lay on the altar of consciousness to redeem misdirected desire from control of my life. I do not discard her; I discipline her by faith and unity: 'thou shalt abide for me many days'—a time of inward rest, no outward image or sacrifice. After this inner fast, I seek the LORD and 'David my king' within, the inner Christ who rules as my true king. In that day I shall fear the LORD and remember His goodness, for the latter days reveal a consciousness that has returned to God, restored by a love that never abandons.

Practice This Now

Assume the feeling that you are loved by the I AM now; revise any sense of separation as a doorway to inner kingship. Rest in that awareness for a few minutes, feeling the restoration as real.