Neville Goddard on Joel 2:12-17 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Joel 2 in context

Scripture Focus

12Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

13And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

14Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?

15Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:

16Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.

17Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

Joel 2:12-17

Biblical Context

God calls the people to turn with their whole heart, fast, mourn, and seek mercy. The repentance described is an inward transformation, inviting a divine blessing into life.

Neville's Inner Vision

Joel's call is a call to a radical inner turning. 'Turn ye to me with all your heart' points to a change of consciousness, not merely outward acts. Fasting, weeping, mourning symbolize releasing the old self from its holds; rend your heart, not your garments, for true repentance is felt, believed, and imagined into being. God is gracious and merciful—slow to anger and full of kindness—precisely the state you are invited to assume about yourself. The cry, 'Who knoweth if he will return and repent?' becomes a dare you must answer with confidence: assume a state in which blessing is already on its way—the nourishment of meat and drink offered to the Lord within you. Blow the trumpet in Zion and call a sacred assembly within: gather your wisdom (elders), your new ideas (children), even the intimate self that hides in fear, and let the inner priest weep between porch and altar, seeking mercy for the whole self. When you replace 'Where is their God?' with 'God is within me now,' you invite mercy, restoration, and the presence of God into every area of life.

Practice This Now

Imaginative practice: Assume the state of your desired blessing now—God within you is turning toward you. Feel the emotion of gratitude, and let the impression of mercy, nourishment, and renewed life flow through you.