1. David as the Model King Abijam (1 Kings 15:3). “And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him; his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David” (1 Kings 15:3-4, NKJV).

2. David as the Model King Abijam (1 Kings 15:3). Asa (1 Kings 15:11). “Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did his father David” (1 Kings 15:11, NKJV).

3. David as the Model King Abijam (1 Kings 15:3). Asa (1 Kings 15:11). Josiah (2 Kings 23:25). “Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him.” (2 Kings 23:25).

4. Josiah: “There Was No King Like Him” I. Prophecy Concerning Josiah. A. During the reign of Jeroboam. 1. Idolatrous worship of calves at Dan & Bethel. 2. Man of God comes to Jeroboam at Bethel (I Kings 13:1-5). B. God is never pleased when people try to create their own religious practices (II Timothy 4:3,4).

5. Josiah: “There Was No King Like Him” II. Josiah’s Early Life. A. Wicked kingdoms of Amon (father) & Manasseh (grandfather) - II Kings 21 B. Death of Amon (II Chronicles 33:21-25). C. Reigns at Eight years old (II Chron. 34:1-2). 1. Didn’t continue wickedness of his fathers (II Chronicles 34:3). 2. Important to seek God (Acts 17:24-28).

6. Josiah: “There Was No King Like Him” II. Josiah’s Early Life. D. Josiah starts to seek God. Four years later he began to purge Judah of idolatry (II Chronicles 34:4). 1. He did this from a relatively naive understanding of what it meant to “seek the God of his father David.” (cf. Apollos Acts 18:24-28).

7. Josiah: “There Was No King Like Him” III. Josiah’s Golden Moment. A. Six years later, in the 18th year of his reign, an event took place which changed Josiah forever. 1. Restoration of the temple (II Chronicles 34:8-10). 2. Hilkiah finds “the book of the Law of the Lord [given] by Moses”1 (II Chronicles 34:14,15).

8. Josiah: “There Was No King Like Him” III. Josiah’s Golden Moment. A. Six years later, in the 18th year of his reign, an event took place which changed Josiah forever. 3. Shaphan reads the book to the king (II Kings 22:10). 4. What would you do? You realize your people (i.e. family have done wrong? (Matthew 10:37,38). 5. What Josiah does (II Kings 22:11-13).

9. Josiah: “There Was No King Like Him” III. Josiah’s Golden Moment. B. Huldah’s prophecy (II Kings 22:14-19). C. Josiah’s response to God’s word. 1. Calls the people to pledge to follow God’s word (II Kings 23:1-3). God’s mercy calls us to teach others (Psalm 51:12-14). 2. Further to removes idolatry destroying idols and booths for ritual homosexual prostitution that were actually within the temple (II Kings 23:4-7).

10. Josiah: “There Was No King Like Him” III. Josiah’s Golden Moment. B. Huldah’s prophecy (II Kings 22:14-19). C. Josiah’s response to God’s word. 3. Burned the bones of dead idolatrous priests and scattered their ashes over former places of idolatry (II Chronicles 34:4,5). This defiled these places preventing any future idolatry in them.

11. Josiah: “There Was No King Like Him” III. Josiah’s Golden Moment. B. Huldah’s prophecy (II Kings 22:14-19). C. Josiah’s response to God’s word. 4. Valley of the Son of Hinnom. Josiah’s grandfather Manasseh had sacrificed his own children there, and practiced witchcraft and sorcery there as well (II Chronicles 33:6). Josiah “defiled” the place of sacrifice to Molech there called Topheth (II Kings 23:10).

12. Josiah: “There Was No King Like Him” III. Josiah’s Golden Moment. B. Huldah’s prophecy (II Kings 22:14-19). C. Josiah’s response to God’s word. 5. Fulfillment of the prophesy concerning him he destroyed the altar built by Jeroboam, and burned the bones of its priests over it (II Kings 23:15,16). 6. God’s word tears down falsehood (II Corinthians 10:3-5). True worship - Passover (II Kings 23:22).

13. Josiah: “There Was No King Like Him” III. Josiah’s Golden Moment. D. He died after being mortally wounded opposing Pharoah Neco at Megiddo and was lamented by all the people and the prophet Jeremiah (II Chronicles 35:20-27).