In the psychological reading of Scripture, Abraham represents the development of pure faith—the kind of faith Neville Goddard describes as “assumption,” or the ability to dwell inwardly in the unseen as if it were already so. His journey is not just about trusting God; it is about separating from all belief in external causation and surrendering everything that tries to anchor the mind to appearances.
Hagar and the Outer Mindset
The story of Abraham sending away Hagar and Ishmael (Genesis 21:9–14) is often misunderstood. But through the symbolic language of the Bible, Hagar is not just a handmaid—she represents the mindset of trying to achieve results by human means. She is the bondwoman, the belief in effort, strategy, and outer causation. Neville Goddard calls this the attempt to “make it happen” instead of “letting it be.”
“And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had given birth to, playing with Isaac. So she said to Abraham,
‘Send away this woman and her son: for the son of this woman may not have a part in the heritage with my son Isaac.’”
(Genesis 21:9–10, BBE)
Ishmael, though a son, was born out of human planning—Abraham’s attempt to help God fulfil the Promise. But the Law of Assumption does not permit partial trust. Assumption must come from the inner act of faith alone. So, Abraham is told to let go—not cruelly, but because what comes by outer striving cannot inherit the Promise.
“And this was a great grief to Abraham because of his son. But God said,
‘Let it not be hard in your eyes because of the boy and Hagar. Give ear to whatever Sarah says to you, for in Isaac will your seed be named.’”
(Genesis 21:11–12, BBE)
Abraham's grief represents the difficulty of parting with systems of thought we’ve grown used to—but God’s message is clear: the Promise will not come through external effort.
Isaac and the Death of the Promise
In an even more startling test, Abraham is told to offer up Isaac—the very result of his faith (Genesis 22). Isaac represents the visible form of the Promise. Abraham is asked not only to let go of old thought systems (represented by Hagar) but also to surrender his reliance on beloved attachments
“And he said,
‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burned offering on one of the mountains of which I will give you knowledge.’”
(Genesis 22:2, BBE)
Neville teaches that this is not about blood sacrifice, but the inner death of the idea as external. You must surrender your attachment to the external no matter how much it is loved, or how or when the desire will unfold. Only then can the true inner resurrection occur—the feeling fixed so surely in imagination that it no longer demands reassurance from the world.
“And Isaac said to his father Abraham,
‘My father… here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burned offering?’
And Abraham said,
‘God himself will give the lamb for the burned offering, my son.’”
(Genesis 22:7–8)
This moment of faith, even in the face of apparent loss, reflects the surrender Neville speaks of when he says we must “live in the end”, even when no visible sign supports it.
“And Abraham put out his hand and took the knife to put his son to death.
But the voice of the angel of the Lord came from heaven, saying,
‘Abraham, Abraham!… Do not put your hand on the boy or do anything to him;
for now I am certain that the fear of God is in your heart,
because you have not kept back your son, your only son, from me.’”
(Genesis 22:10–12)
It is in this surrender that Abraham becomes the full heir of the Promise. He did not cling, and so the blessing could be secured inwardly—forever.
Leaving Father and Mother: Cleaving to the Inner Union
This pattern of detachment mirrors a spiritual law found right at the start of Scripture:
“For this cause will a man go away from his father and his mother and be joined to his wife; and they will be one flesh.”
(Genesis 2:24)
While this is often read as marital advice, it carries symbolic weight. The “father and mother” are your external influences—your upbringing, history, beliefs, fears, traditions. The “wife” is your assumption—the state you choose to unite with. In Abraham’s story, he must leave all outer reference points (both Hagar and Isaac) to cleave only to the inner vision.
This is love at its highest level—not sentiment or emotion, but the decision to live inwardly in union with the unseen Promise. Abraham’s story shows us that assumption is not sustained by clinging, but by surrender.
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