The Sceptre of Praise

"A star shall come forth from Jacob, a sceptre shall rise from Israel."

—Numbers 24:17

The Bible is not a historical account but a psychological drama unfolding within the human soul. In the eyes of Neville Goddard, each verse, each character, each prophecy speaks of states of consciousness and spiritual principles that we experience and embody. One of the most profound of these principles is praise—not as an act of worship toward an external deity, but as a creative state that sustains dominion and gives birth to manifestation.

Jacob to Israel: The Journey of Inner Awakening

The verse from Numbers tells us a star will rise from Jacob and a sceptre from Israel. Jacob, whose name means supplanter, begins his journey in a state of outer striving—grasping, manipulating, wrestling for blessings from the world around him. But through inner confrontation—his famous wrestling match with the angel—Jacob is transformed. He is renamed Israel, which means "he who has wrestled with God and prevailed."

This transformation is the journey of every awakened soul. Jacob is the outer man, ruled by facts and appearances. Israel is the inner man, conscious of his creative power and dominion. The star is the rising Christ-consciousness within, and the sceptre is the authority that comes with it—the power to shape your world from within.

Judah: Praise as Perpetual Dominion

This sceptre—the symbol of rulership—does not fade. In Genesis 49:10, Jacob prophesies:
"The sceptre shall not depart from Judah."

Judah, one of Jacob’s sons, is more than a man—he is a state of consciousness. His name means "He shall be praised", and within that name lies the mystery of sustained dominion. Praise is not the reaction to something received—it is the feeling of the wish fulfilled before it materializes. It is a spiritual knowing, a vibrational alignment with the reality already assumed.

Judah represents the ongoing rulership of the soul that lives in praise. As Neville would teach, “You must enter the state and remain faithful to it.” Praise is how you remain faithful—not just in word, but in feeling. It is thanksgiving in advance, the inner certainty that what you have imagined is already yours.

To live in Judah is to wear the sceptre. It is to know that your imagination is God, and that sustained inner celebration brings forth outer creation.

Mary: Magnifying the Lord Within

Now enter Mary, the embodiment of the subconscious mind. In Luke 1:46, she proclaims:
"My soul doth magnify the Lord."

This is not poetic flattery—it is spiritual law in action. To magnify is to enlarge in awareness. The Lord is your I AM—your awareness of being. So when Mary says her soul magnifies the Lord, she is dwelling in the inner feeling of "I AM favored," "I AM the chosen vessel," "I AM the bearer of life."

Mary does not ask for a sign. She praises. She celebrates the promise before it becomes visible. She becomes the spiritual mother of Jesus—the embodied Christ-consciousness—through her sustained praise and assumption.

This is how all manifestation is born: through the womb of praise.

Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth: A Symbol of Judah’s Praise

In Luke 1:39, we read that Mary travels to visit her cousin Elizabeth after receiving the message from the angel that she would conceive Jesus. This visit is filled with powerful symbolism:

"Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth." (Luke 1:39)

Mary’s journey into Judah is not just a geographical movement—it is a spiritual one. Judah, as we’ve already seen, symbolizes the state of praise that holds dominion and sustains the sceptre of creative authority. Mary's journey to Judah signifies her entering into the very state that will bear and sustain the Christ consciousness within her.

Judah, as the state of praise, opens the door for creation. By physically going to the city of Judah, Mary is symbolically aligning herself with the creative force that will give birth to the divine manifestation. This journey illustrates the power of praise to bring the Christ consciousness into the world of experience.

Just as Judah symbolizes the sustaining of dominion through praise, Mary’s visit to Judah shows that in order to bring forth the miraculous, we must first align ourselves with the state of praise. Praise is the fertile ground that allows the seed of desire to take root and grow.

Judah’s Role in Mary’s Story

Mary, as the vessel for Christ, represents the consciousness that magnifies the I AM within. By entering Judah, she demonstrates that praise is the gateway to bringing forth your desires—just as Judah is the gateway for divine manifestations in the Bible.

Her alignment with the state of praise is further confirmed in her own words when she says, “My soul doth magnify the Lord” (Luke 1:46). By praising, she magnifies God within her, and through this inner recognition, she conceives the Christ.

This act of praise, rooted in the very heart of Judah, demonstrates that to bring forth the divine—whether it is healing, success, or peace—you must first live in the vibration of praise, acknowledging that what you desire is already real in the invisible world.

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Final Thoughts: The Sceptre of Praise in Action

From Jacob to Israel, from Israel to Judah, and from Judah to Mary, the thread is clear: the sceptre of creation is passed to the one who lives in praise. Whether you are waiting for healing, provision, clarity, or transformation, the answer lies not in pleading—but in praising.

Feel it real. Assume it done. Praise as though it is already so.

Because it is.

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