Have you ever received a Christmas card with Isaiah 9:6 cited on the card?
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)
This is an amazing verse, and it is rightfully regarded as a prophecy about Jesus. But how do we know that? The name “Jesus” is not mentioned anywhere in the book of Isaiah, so how can we be certain?
If we study Isaiah 9:6, the entire chapter, or even the whole book, we would not be able to confidently identify this child. We need to look for other related passages within the canon to make the connection that this verse is about Jesus.
The academic discipline of interpreting Scripture is known as hermeneutics, and within this discipline are rules or methods—steps, if you will. Our hermeneutic is COMA. I have come to realize that even though we intuitively use Scripture to interpret Scripture, we do not have it spelled out in COMA
Within “Meaning” of COMA, we need to clearly articulate this point of using Scripture to interpret Scripture. We will do this by focusing on the canon, that is, all of God’s Word. This aspect incorporates the rest of the Bible (the canon) to aid in determining the meaning of the text.
As we look back at Isaiah 9:6, considering the entire canon, we realize that Matthew quotes from Isaiah 9 and then applies it to Jesus in his Gospel (4:14–17). Hear the familiar words of the apostles, “this was to fulfill…”
We believe in—
- Scripture Interpreting Scripture: Utilizes clearer passages to clarify more complex ones.
- Progressive Revelation: Acknowledges that God’s plan unfolds over time, meaning later revelation (like the NT) can provide deeper insight into earlier texts (like the OT).
- The Unity of the Canon: Views the Bible as a cohesive whole that leads to Christ!
This is why Christians rightly read Isaiah 9:6 in light of the NT that identifies and fulfills this promise in Jesus Christ. Adding a canonical focus within everyone’s hermeneutic is essential. For the Bereans, it is NOT optional (Acts 17:11), we must always use Scripture to interpret Scripture. God gave the church the Bible, not 66 individual books. One last thought, think about “Melchizedek,” what would you know about him without Hebrews?
