Neville Goddard on Joshua 9:4-13 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Joshua 9 in context

Scripture Focus

4They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;

5And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.

6And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.

7And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?

8And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?

9And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt,

10And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.

11Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.

12This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy:

13And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.

Joshua 9:4-13

Biblical Context

Israel is drawn in by outward signs and forms a league with the Hivites, mistaking appearances for truth. The passage invites inner discernment about how images and stories shape our state of consciousness.

Neville's Inner Vision

Israel is a state of consciousness within the I AM encountering a request that wears the garb of wisdom because it comes from far lands. The Hivites represent beliefs masquerading as ambassadors, bearing dry bread and torn wines to persuade you that distance and time separate you from power. Joshua's question, 'Who are ye?' is your inner test: when a thought or situation arrives bearing credentials, inquire into its origin. The league they offer is a contract of faith with a perception that resonates with old evidence—bread stale from yesterday, wines torn by a long journey, garments worn by time. The lesson is not to condemn appearances but to discern the state behind them. The revision is simple: assume you are already in covenant with truth and that your I AM is the source of all you consent to. As you revise, the signs shift in your imagination—the bread becomes new, the wines whole, and the traveler’s script dissolves into the certainty of your unity with God.

Practice This Now

Imaginative Act: Close your eyes and assume you already inhabit the state you desire; revise the scene so that the signs of old evidence become fresh. Feel it real that your I AM has established the covenant you live by.