Introduction
Neville Goddard taught that the Bible is not a historical account, but a psychological drama unfolding within the human imagination. Its stories, riddles, and characters all depict states of consciousness—patterns of thought and inner transformation. One of the lesser-known figures in this rich tapestry is Jael, a woman whose seemingly brutal act in the Book of Judges conceals a profound inner truth.
To the literal mind, Jael is a murderess. To the awakened imagination, she is a liberator—the symbol of a decisive mental shift, of conquering a false belief that has ruled the inner world.
Who Was Jael? (Judges 4–5)
Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, appears in the tale of Israel’s victory over the Canaanites. After the Israelite army, led by Barak under the guidance of the prophetess Deborah, defeats the enemy forces, the Canaanite general Sisera flees on foot. Seeking refuge, he enters Jael’s tent. She welcomes him, gives him milk, covers him with a blanket, and promises safety. But while he sleeps, she quietly takes a tent peg and hammer and drives it through his temple, killing him.
Deborah later sings:
“Most blessed of women be Jael… She struck Sisera, she crushed his head, she shattered and pierced his temple.”
— Judges 5:24–26 (NIV)
Neville Goddard’s Interpretation: A Psychological Drama
According to Neville, the Bible plays out entirely within the mind of the individual. Each character symbolises a part of the self. Every battle is a battle of belief. Jael and Sisera are not outer figures—they are aspects of you.
Sisera represents the dominant, oppressive thought pattern—perhaps a belief in lack, unworthiness, fear, or limitation. It is a mental state that once held power over your life but is now on the run, seeking a hiding place in your awareness.
Jael is the awakened part of you—your spiritual discernment, your readiness to be free. She does not fight with swords or shouts. Instead, she waits for the right moment, then acts with inner precision.
This mirrors Neville’s teaching:
“You slay the old man by assuming a new state.”
— Neville Goddard, “The Pruning Shears of Revision”
To destroy an unlovely state, you do not wrestle with it; you assume its opposite. Jael’s act is symbolic of your decision to fix a new idea in place—to drive a ‘tent peg’ of belief into your imagination and make it permanent.
The Tent: Your Inner Sanctuary
Jael’s tent represents your inner world, the secret place of the Most High:
“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
— Psalm 91:1 (KJV)
Sisera seeks safety there, and many old beliefs do the same—they don’t die easily; they hide in subtle ways. But Jael takes control of her mental dwelling. She does not allow the unworthy idea to linger in the shadows. She ends it.
This is what Neville means when he speaks of changing states. To move from one state to another is to leave behind the ‘old man’ (Ephesians 4:22) and put on the ‘new man’ created in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24).
Milk and the Blanket: Disarming the Thought
Before her final act, Jael soothes Sisera with milk and a covering. Why? Because when we no longer react emotionally to a state—when fear, doubt, and resistance have subsided—we can calmly and effectively replace it.
Neville said:
“The moment you no longer react to a state, you are free from it.”
This emotional neutrality is the milk. The blanket is the soft silence of detachment. Only then can the new assumption be installed.
The Tent Peg and Hammer: Fixing a New Reality
The tent peg is the new belief. The hammer is your will. In one quiet yet deliberate motion, you fix a new concept of self in consciousness, and the old belief dies.
This echoes Paul’s words:
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.”
— 2 Corinthians 10:4 (KJV)
Living as Jael: How to Apply This
To live as Jael means you take responsibility for your inner world. You no longer allow old beliefs to seek refuge in your imagination. You disarm them, then replace them by:
- Recognising the belief that oppresses your life.
- Allowing it to rest—don’t fight it emotionally.
- Quietly assuming its opposite.
- Fixing the new idea with conviction.
As Neville puts it:
“Dare to believe in the reality of your assumption, and watch the world respond.”
Conclusion: The Song of Your Own Victory
Deborah sings Jael’s praises because Jael achieved what armies could not. In the inner world, it is never noise or force that wins—it is clarity, conviction, and silence.
Let Jael be a pattern for your own transformation. Slay the belief that has long ruled you. Fix a new truth in its place. Then, like Deborah, sing the song of your deliverance.
“Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, utter a song!”
— Judges 5:12 (KJV)
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