2 Kings 8 | 2 Chronicles 21

1. Read From Jehoshaphat to Jehoram and An Overview of Jehoram. Briefly, what stands out to you about King Jehoram?
2. Read 2 Chronicles 21:1-7. What evil did Jehoram do, and what reason does this passage give for why God ultimately spared the house of David?
3. Jehoram's first act as king was not worship or justice but self-preservation through violence. Sin is a love disorder. The love that should be directed upward toward God and outward toward other people collapses inward, twisting authority into a tool for self exaltation. What are some things in life you are often tempted to try and control? What are you willing to sacrifice to try and maintain control? How have you seen this play out in your life?
4. Imitation reveals our heart. Whatever we follow shapes who we become. Who are the voices and influences you're listening to that are (whether you realize it or not) shaping your life and desires? Try to identify both positive and negative examples of this.
5. Read 2 Chronicles 21:16-20. The people we admire and try to imitate reveal the true longings of our hearts, and those longings shape who we become. Jehoram's tragic choice to walk in Ahab's footsteps led him straight into destruction. But he was not the only one impacted by his sin. His people suffered the consequences of his sin as well. Who in your life is affected or could be affected by your sin? How would they be affected? How does it change the way you think about your sin to know this?
6. Spend some time in prayer, confessing to God and one another any areas of disbelief, selfish ambition, or disordered love in your heart. Encourage one another with the truth that "if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).