Neville Goddard on Job 1:1-22 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Job 1 in context

Scripture Focus

1There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

2And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.

3His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

4And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

5And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

6Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

7And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

8And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

9Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

10Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

11But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

12And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

13And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:

14And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:

15And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

16While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

17While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

18While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:

19And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

20Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,

21And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

22In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Job 1:1-22

Biblical Context

Job is presented as a man of integrity and wealth who is tested by calamities. He remains faithful, declaring blessings in the midst of loss.

Neville's Inner Vision

Job represents a state of consciousness described as perfect and upright—an inner condition of prosperity, reverence, and separation from evil. The wealth and large household symbolize the richness of the mind when it honors principles rather than personhood, and the daily offerings show a discipline that keeps conscience awake to itself. The calamities that come are not judgments but interior movements stirred by conflict between trust and doubt. The hedge about him is the sense of protection afforded by awareness, and the command that not touch him simply points to the I AM as the only true border of circumstance. When Job says, 'The LORD gave; and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD,' he embodies the stable I AM, not the fluctuating senses. The testing reveals that inner state, not external fate, governs what seems to occur. The answer lies in reasserting the reality of the I AM here and now—assuming the fullness of your inner wealth, revising loss as appearance, and feeling the triumph of gratitude as the one unchanging fact. In that mood, your outer world will realign with the inner truth.

Practice This Now

Imaginative act: Close your eyes and declare, 'I am the I AM, the source and limit of all my experience.' In the moment of loss, revise: 'This appearance shifts, I remain the steady consciousness, blessed and whole.'