Neville Goddard on Jeremiah 35:6-17 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Jeremiah 35 in context

Scripture Focus

6But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever:

7Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers.

8Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters;

9Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:

10But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

11But it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians: so we dwell at Jerusalem.

12Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,

13Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the LORD.

14The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father's commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not unto me.

15I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me.

16Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but this people hath not hearkened unto me:

17Therefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.

Jeremiah 35:6-17

Biblical Context

The Jonadab's descendants faithfully obey their father's command to drink no wine and dwell in tents, while the people of Judah ignore God's words, inviting judgment.

Neville's Inner Vision

Notice how the text places a private vow beside a public judgment. The sons of Jonadab keep their father's command, not because fate forced them, but because their inner acceptance aligned with a fixed covenant in consciousness. This is a vivid example of the Neville principle: a state of mind, once embraced, creates outward conditions that mirror its discipline. The people of Judah, hearing word after word from the Lord through the prophets, display a different inner weather: they hear but do not consent; their awareness remains scattered, and so the external land yields to fear and upheaval. You are invited to see that outer events are not causes but effects in the drama of consciousness. When you adopt the feeling that a higher order governs your life—even one that you remember as your true covenant—the present 'land' rearranges to reflect that inner loyalty. The old ritual of abstaining from wine in memory of a man becomes a symbol: you can decide in imagination to be loyal to the divine instruction within, and to let that inner fidelity govern your days and your outcomes.

Practice This Now

Imaginative act: Sit quietly and assume you have already heeded the inner command of your true Father within; feel it real that you live in alignment with the divine, not by shifting tents of fear. Then revise any claim of separation by declaring, 'I am one with the I AM' and let that sensation guide today's choices.