Absalom
David's son, the most handsome man in Israel, who avenged his sister Tamar's violation with murder, fled for three years, returned to Jerusalem, stole the hearts of the people, and led a rebellion against his own father.
The Tragic Prince
Scripture: 2 Samuel 13-18
The Biblical Record
No man in Israel was more praised for his beauty than Absalom: from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. His hair was famous — he cut it once a year and it weighed two hundred shekels. And he used all of it for his own ends. He waited two years after Amnon violated Tamar before he struck. He fled to Geshur for three years. He returned to Jerusalem and spent two more years without seeing the king's face. When he finally stood before David, the reconciliation was cold and incomplete. And then he raised the standard of revolt.
Absalom in the Sanctum
Absalom is the figure of beauty and gifting turned toward destruction — the cautionary character whose story the Sanctum holds with honesty. His death, caught in the oak tree by his famous hair, weeping David's famous lament, is one of the most haunting scenes in Scripture.
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