Neville Goddard on Obadiah 1:11-14 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Obadiah 1 in context

Scripture Focus

11In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon Jerusalem, even thou wast as one of them.

12But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress.

13Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity, nor have laid hands on their substance in the day of their calamity;

14Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress.

Obadiah 1:11-14

Biblical Context

Obadiah 1:11-14 exposes Edom’s culpability for standing by and rejoicing as Judah suffers, and it condemns betrayal of a neighbor in distress. It calls for righteous action marked by mercy, compassion, and accountability.

Neville's Inner Vision

All the players in this oracle stand as aspects of your own consciousness. When you stand 'on the other side' of your brother’s calamity, you are not keeping faith with the I AM within you; you are dividing your inner kingdom. The strangers who carry away Judah's forces and the gates opened to the enemy mirror thoughts or feelings that allow separation; the moment you take pleasure in another’s misfortune is a seed of Edom in your own heart. The inner Jerusalem—the texture of your unity—requires you to resist the instinct to watch, to boast, or to lay hands on another’s substance. Judgment is a state of awareness, not a verdict outside yourself; you are judged by the alignment of your compassion. The antidote is awakening to Love as your true state; see every brother as you, and every calamity as your own image calling for mercy. By choosing mercy in imagination, you reset the inner gates and invite a healing reality to follow.

Practice This Now

Imaginative Act: Close your eyes and imagine Judah’s distress as your own. Then revise the scene by affirming, I am my brother’s keeper, and feel the compassion as real.