The Fuller Meaning of Scripture
Devotions for Growing Christians
Biblical Interpretation - The Fuller Meaning of Scripture
Remember the 1990s craze for “hidden 3D art” posters and books? They were everywhere! People would squint and stare at the colorful, seemingly random, patterns until hidden images would suddenly “pop out” from the background. (Can you see the hidden ship and sea life in the image above?)
Sometimes we may wonder how much of the Bible is relatable to that type of art. Is Scripture to be taken at face value, or is there more to be seen?
Is there ever a hidden or deeper meaning within the text?
Did the process of divine inspiration ever allow the human authors to write "over their heads," about things they couldn’t have known?
Does understanding what the text meant to the original audience exhaust the text of all its meaning, or is there sometimes an expanded or fuller meaning to a text of Scripture?
If we look at 1 Peter 1:10-12, it seems to indicate that the Old Testament prophets didn’t completely comprehend the depth of all that they were writing:
“This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward. They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.”
So the prophets received revelation from God that their writings were for a future generation (v12). Although they probably had more insight into what they were writing than we realize, they didn’t completely realize the full content of their writing (v11). Total appreciation for this “fuller meaning” is impossible apart from New Testament revelation.
We should never think of the “fuller” meaning of Scripture as a new or additional meaning. It’s not a different connotation that changes the original designation of any text. The original meaning remains unchanged, while the fuller meaning is a more fully developed exposition. It’s a meaning that could not be seen until further revelation was given.
An acorn and a mature oak tree may look very different, but they're not different in essence. The future leaves, bark, sap, and everything else are contained in the acorn. It's just a matter of time before the "fuller sense" of the tree is revealed. Similarly, God inspired the human authors of Scripture to write in a way where all the depth and beauty of the fuller meaning was in "seed form," right from the start.
Messianic Prophecies
Apart from New Testament revelation, it’s impossible to understand that the Old Testament prophecy in Isaiah 61:2 covers both the first and second comings of the Messiah. When Isaiah wrote that “the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies,” he probably didn’t comprehend that the first phrase of the verse would be fulfilled at the peaceful first advent of the Messiah, but that the second phrase would await the judgment of Messiah's second coming.
In Hosea 11:1 we see another example: “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and I called my son out of Egypt." When Hosea wrote this verse, most likely he was thinking of God's love for the Israelites when He brought them out of Egypt at the Exodus. But God inspired Matthew to quote this verse, revealing that it was a prophecy of Jesus returning from Egypt as a child, after the death of Herod (Matthew 2:15).
Hosea didn’t know the details of Jesus’ early life. God used Matthew to expose the fuller meaning of this Scripture. Note that Matthew didn’t impose a new meaning on Hosea's prophecy. He simply revealed the fuller meaning.
These examples are not limited to just the OT prophets. In 1 Corinthians 9:9-10, Paul quoted Deuteronomy 25:4, "For the law of Moses says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” But then he expands on that verse, “Was God thinking only about oxen when he said this? Wasn’t he actually speaking to us? Yes, it was written for us, so that the one who plows and the one who threshes the grain might both expect a share of the harvest.’”
Paul revealed that this Mosaic Law has an extended meaning. When Moses wrote Deuteronomy 25:4, he probably wasn’t aware that a future principle for Christian service was also "built into" this law. God intended this fuller meaning! And 1 Corinthians 9:9-10 makes it clear that the Christian service aspect isn’t just an application -- it’s an integral part of the fuller meaning.
Before going any further, we should caution that the concept of the fuller meaning of Scripture does present potential problems. Many well-meaning Christians have devised so-called "truths" that may not have really been there, or they improperly allegorized Scripture.
Some Christians reject the idea of a fuller meaning in Scripture because of this kind of confusion. However, 1 Peter 1:10-12 suggests that may be too rigid a position. In any case, extreme caution is necessary when we attempt to recognize a fuller meaning in Scripture. The fuller meaning must always agree with the rest of Scripture, not just anything that “sounds good.”
Messianic Psalms
The Messianic psalms are a good example of how God designed an expanded meaning for some Scriptures. He ordained that David would experience and record certain events in such a way that would also relate to the Messiah. In Psalm 16:8-10, for example, David described his deliverance from death, but the fuller meaning of Christ's resurrection was also included. This was clearly intentional, as we can see in Acts 2:25-32 and 13:35-37. And John 15:25 demonstrates that the fuller meaning of David's persecution in Psalm 69:4 was descriptive of Christ's rejection.
Types
A “type” in the Bible is an Old Testament person, place, event, or other item, that God sovereignly ordained to picture or illustrate New Testament truth. All types probably go beyond what the human authors understood when they wrote the Old Testament. When Moses "lifted up the serpent in the wilderness" in Numbers 21, for example, it’s highly unlikely that he expected a fuller meaning would be revealed in John 3:14-15.
The fuller meaning of some Old Testament types is given in the New Testament. The fuller meaning of others may not explicitly stated, but believers can recognize them.
Divine Arrangement
Another broad area of fuller meaning is the “Divine Arrangement of Scripture.” A classic example would be the arrangement of the Gospels. Christ is presented in different ways in each Gospel.
In Matthew, He’s presented as "The King."
In Mark, He’s "The Perfect Servant."
In Luke, He’s "The Son of Man."
In John, He’s "The Son of God."
These inspired writers were probably unaware of a divine arrangement to their writings.
Numbers and Science
Most Christians are aware of the fact that certain numbers in the Bible seem to have a consistent meaning. This is true of more than just the number 7 - God's number of perfection and completeness. The number 40 consistently means "tested by God." Here are just a few examples:
40 days and 40 nights of rain during the Flood
40 years of Israel wandering in the wilderness
40 days and 40 nights of testing for our Lord in the Judean wilderness
God arranged Scripture to convey a meaning that went beyond what the authors realized by the consistent use of significant numbers throughout the Bible.
Going To Extremes
“Spiritualization” of Scripture, or drawing a spiritual application from historical biblical events, is probably the area of fuller meaning on which Christians will most often differ. When does spiritualization become extreme, and go beyond what God intended?
There appears to be a divinely-intended spiritualization of some Scriptures. The rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem in the book of Nehemiah can be likened to the building of strong spiritual walls in the lives of God's people today. But even here Christians will differ on where lines should be drawn.
Remember, when interpreting any Scripture:
Always start with: What did the human author mean when the text was written?
Any fuller meaning must always be subject to the clear teaching of the rest of Scripture.
While being careful, we must also realize that God is the ultimate Author of all Scripture, and we should be open to the possibility of an expanded meaning. Let's not miss out on the beauty found in the divinely-intended depth and fuller meaning of Scripture!
- Dave Reid
(Updated 2024, Ron Reid)