Neville Goddard on Jeremiah 31:18-20 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Jeremiah 31 in context

Scripture Focus

18I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God.

19Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.

20Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD.

Jeremiah 31:18-20

Biblical Context

Jeremiah 31:18-20 shows chastisement and turning as inner movements leading to repentance. The Lord promises mercy when the heart turns to God.

Neville's Inner Vision

Take the scene as a description of your inner state. Ephraim is not a distant tribe but a state of consciousness—an idea of self that has wandered under the yoke of limitation. The chastisement you feel is the voice of the I AM correcting the belief that you are separate from your source. When you hear, 'turn thou me, and I shall be turned,' you are being invited to assent to a shift of identity: to refuse the old picture of self as unworthy and to align with the truth that God is your God—the I AM within. Repentance is not remorse as a cause; it is the turning of attention, the revision of the story you tell about yourself. After this turning, 'I was instructed' becomes the inner understanding that you do not suffer from your past, but you learn from it and choose a new feeling state. The Lord's claimed mercy—'I will surely have mercy'—is the mercy inside you when you choose to cease resisting it. Your bowels are troubled for a moment, but that pain is the ache of awakening, not punishment. Mercy and grace follow when you recognize you are already loved by the one God who is your own I AM.

Practice This Now

Imaginative Act: Close your eyes, assume the I AM turning you toward mercy, and revise your self-image as beloved by God; feel the new, unburdened sensation in your chest. Do this daily until the feeling of being cherished becomes your automatic state.