“Now in all Israel there was no one more praised for his beauty than Avshalom — there was no defect on him from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.”-2 Samuel 14:25
From verse 25, the focus now shifts to Absalom and his arrogant and narcissistic nature.
This emphasis was also to underscore David’s costly mistake in showing mercy to a murderer, even if he was his son.
As it was for King Saul, the people were attracted to Absalom because of his good looks.
This was the main characteristic Absalom leveraged in his attempt to gain power.
Interestingly, all of David’s children and grandchildren who came from his wife Maacah, were exceptionally beautiful.
She was Absalom’s mother.
Absalom was so self-absorbed that he let his luscious locks grow out to full capacity and only cut his hair once a year.
We’re told that…
“He weighed the hair from his head at 200 shekels (using the royal weight) [about five pounds].”
Now, I’m not sure if that’s right.
Five pounds?!
That’s a helluva lot of hair, homies.
Anyway, let’s switch over to the takeaway.
So it’s easy to get caught up in appearances.
Our own or someone else’s.
But God doesn’t care about how symmetrical your face is…
How tall you are…
Or how much your hair weighs.
He looks at your heart (mind).
Absalom had beauty, charm, and royal blood.
But his heart was proud, manipulative, and rebellious.
And in the end, all that outer beauty couldn’t save him.
Ironically, it was his hair that caused his downfall.
So be careful not to idolize the mirror.
Or fall for the world’s standards.
Because what impresses people won’t impress God.
And when it comes to who He lifts up or brings down…
It’s always about the heart.
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