Whose eyes?

Whose eyes do we use when we read Scripture: those of today’s world Christian person in the Western culture, or those of someone living in the ancient world’s semantic culture? The eyes we use can affect how we understand the meaning, as in Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7. Individuality, as we know it, was unknown to the people of Isaiah’s time, so the first four verses, the Servant Song, would have been heard as referring to the people as a group vs an individual.¹ On the other hand, through our eyes of today, we likely see the message as prophecy, referring to Jesus.

Who’s correct? The ancient people or the contemporary people? Or, might both understandings be correct – two meanings in one message?

¹ John J Pilch. The Cultural World of the Prophets. 2004.