So one of the thorns in Solomon’s flesh, Hadad the Edomite, was a victim of Joab in David’s time. Joab had killed his family and he fled to Egypt when he was still a boy and had grown up and settled in Egypt and would probably have been there till he died if God didn’t raise him up to stress Solomon. The fact that he couldn’t even give a good reason for wanting to leave Egypt says a lot, especially knowing that there was already a good alliance with Egypt and Israel cuz Solomon was married to Pharoah’s daughter.

I noticed something very profound. It was as Solomon grew old that God appeared to him twice to warn him about turning from Him. He was young when God first appeared. The drift had happened slowly over many years till God had to step in. It didn’t happen suddenly, which is usually how sin creeps in. It took a while which most likely hardened his heart.

The way the incident with God taking the kingdom from Saul to give to David who started hunting down to kill mirrors Solomon with Jeroboam is so interesting. It’s uncanny that Solomon didn’t realize that.

There’s such a powerful link from the essence of Song of Songs in today’s read. It’s even more obvious to me that God was actually trying to draw Solomon back to Him. In 1 Kings 11, we see God trying to warn him twice but Solomon ignored… even after the beautiful analogy in SOS. We see the after effect in Ecc 1:1-11. After everything that was gained, there was no joy in life because he forgot that God was the source. God appeared to him at the beginning of his rule and blessed him with wisdom and riches and he let it get in his head so much so that God reaching out again, did nothing to change his mind and he suffered for it. He had enemies and people troubling him before he died. It’s a sad story. I don’t know if he repented before he died.

Ei! So God actually appeared to Solomon twice to warn him about worshipping other gods and he refused to listen! Oh wow! He even tried to kill Jeroboam after God gave Jeroboam 10 tribes to rule. Oh Solomon. Sigh.

One important thing I found in today’s reading was that our parents covering is really important. Imagine if David ddnt have a relationship with God! Imagine if he didn’t do God’s will! So as Parents, we need to make the conscious effort to always cover our children. Teach the child the way he should go and when he grows up , he wnt depart from it

Solomon was very wise, rich, and powerful. He did many great things, but his life still came to an end. His son became king after him.even though his wisdom and achievements were remembered, but his life still came to an end like every other king before him Ecclesiastes teaches that people work hard, chase new things, and want success. But these things do not last forever. Money, fame, and achievements can disappear or be forgotten. But only the legacy we left behind weather good or bad will be remembered So, do not make success the most important thing in life. Use your wisdom and gifts well, stay humble, love God, and do good for other people Because only Him can satisfy 😊

The thing that strikes me at the start of 1 Kings 11, is God’s displeasure towards mixture. Marriage was the focal entry point for such a mixture and a turning of one’s affections from the Lord to other gods, so the Lord was very specific in His warning for Israelites not to marry people from other tribes. It then dawns on me, that sometimes when the Lord gives us specific instructions for our walk with Him, it may seem to us unnecessary and inconvenient. However, it is for our own good. Because tell me how come the Lord endows Solomon all this wisdom and such wealth and he’s later burning incense to other gods? Solomon had totally lost his devotion and was totally distracted. The second thing I noticed was David’s relationship with God that He constantly reminded Solomon of. David obeyed God, so how come Solomon was such an avid disobedient person? David had not put into effect a working success plan to teach His son in the ways of God. We have a duty as believers to invite our children and their children into a working relationship with God. One where they see our lives totally devoted to the Lord and where we teach them how to love and obey the God with whom we have such a rich and beautiful relationship. I pray we erase all mixture in our lives and receive the strength to give our generations the gift of knowing God intimately for themselves. Amen

It really important to follow God's instructions and ways because trust me you will miss alot and consequences will follow

Followers of God need to marry followers of God It's likely that no one in this world will influence your soul as much as your spouse. As Solomon shows us, choosing the wrong woman (or women, in his case) can have devastating consequences on you and on those in your sphere of influence. The same is true for a woman who marries the wrong man

1 Kings 11:4 stood out to me because Solomon didn’t just get up and drifted from God in a day. It was a gradual process. This reminded me of the small compromises we dnt think anything of that is what begin to shape our hearts when we make it linger for awhile. When we make the blessings God has given us a god, He takes what has been given to us back. We have to let God take the center stage always