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