Neville Goddard on Ruth 1:7-16 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Ruth 1 in context

Scripture Focus

7Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.

8And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.

9The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.

10And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.

11And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

12Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;

13Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.

14And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.

15And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.

16And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

Ruth 1:7-16

Biblical Context

Naomi urges Ruth and Orpah to return to their families; Ruth refuses and commits to Naomi, pledging that her people will be Naomi's people and her God will be Naomi's God.

Neville's Inner Vision

From a Neville perspective, Ruth and Naomi's march is a drama of consciousness. Naomi stands for a state of longing and lineage; the land of Judah is the inner kingdom where your faith rests. The request to return to their mother's house signals the pull of old identities and stories. Ruth's response—a heart-deep pledge to remain with Naomi and adopt her God—represents the moment you choose to identify with Naomi's world by assuming its God. Orpah's departure symbolizes the pull of the familiar path, but Ruth clings to Naomi, refusing to abandon the vision she has chosen. The line about the hand of the LORD going out against me becomes a moment of inner testing, not a calamity but a test of faith. By steadfastly affirming a willingness to go wherever the other goes, you align your inner state with the object of your desire, turning the imagined land of rest into your present experience. The result is a shift of consciousness: you move into a promised inner land where your loyalties are intact.

Practice This Now

Imaginative act: Sit quietly, assume Ruth's vow as your present state, and feel your chosen people and your God already belonging to you, as you rest in the inner land today.