So, that's the ideal. And very quickly, you realize that this king, especially in Isaiah again, Isaiah is the most specific of the prophets to announce this kingdom of God and this king this king is actually going to be a mighty warrior, which is typical also of the ancient world, but he's also filled with wisdom. That's chapter 11 of Isaiah. He has all the spirits of God: wisdom, knowledge, understanding. He is the king that was the wisest of them all, greater than Solomon, because Solomon failed at the end of his life. He failed in his own wisdom, to be faithful to his wife and not to accumulate wealth, not to accumulate horses, like Deuteronomy 17 says. And so, this coming king for Isaiah is the perfect, obedient king. And but he is also the perfect sacrifice. And that's the connection, right? The king becomes a sacrifice. Why is that? Because the king has a dwelling, he has a palace, and this palace is also a temple, and he is the administrator of the sacrifices. You look at David, you look at Solomon, they perform sacrifices there, but they can never atone for sin. So, the radical solution that Isaiah proposes is that this king, who is God himself, will sacrifice the perfect sacrifice to secure righteousness in the city. And, of course, the perfect sacrifice is himself. And so, there you have it. And clearly, the Gospels, that's their entire focus: the king has come and he sacrifices himself on behalf of the people.
Dr. Thomas Petter is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.