Discussion questions:

1. Why does Jeroboam try to deceive Ahijah the prophet? What is motivating you when you are deceptive? What truths are you trying to avoid about yourself?

2. Dressing up before a blind prophet who hears from God sounds foolish. But we behave like this more than we’d like to admit. What are some of the ways you are putting on a disguise rather than living honestly before God? Ask God to convict you of places where you are only fooling yourself.

3. Sin always propagates ruin. How do we see that in the word that Jeroboam receives from Ahijah? Just as Jeroboam made Israel to sin, where are some place where your sins are impacting the lives of other people?

4. Think about the difference between “resume virtues” and “eulogy virtues.” How do we see this in Jeroboam vs. Abijah? What is the testimony you are leaving?

5. God actually works in the gospel to bring us to a place where he sets us free from fooling ourselves. The gospel means we can be honest about sin and failure. How is taking off our mask scary? How is it liberating?