0203. His Personal Accomplishments

His Personal Accomplishments

"Now in all Israel there was none to be bo much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even, to the crown of his head, there was no blemish in him" (2Sa_14:25).

Absalom was possessed of a rare beauty of person. When he shaved his head, as was his custom at every year’s end, he weighed his hair at two hundred shekels, after the king’s weight. (Something like eight pounds, English troy weight.)

Beauty, long hair and an overdose of praise is enough to spoil any one who is not rooted deep in God.

Absalom soon became "foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by divers lusts" (Tit_3:3).

The pleasures of this life were thorns that sprang up and choked his holier aspirations.

Absalom was caught in the net of the world’s vanities. Had he been wise he would gladly have yielded every vestige of his earthly glory and have counted it but dung, that he might have followed the Lord fully.

"Is your soul in touch with Jesus?

Is He truly all in all?

Are you joyful in His presence,

And responsive to His call?

"Keep your mind in touch with Jesus,

Keep Him with you everywhere;

Keep your soul in touch with Jesus,

By the power of love and prayer."

If you live for this world and sow to the flesh you will certainly reap what you sow.

Illustration: "An Eastern fable tells how a master said to his slave, ‘Go into such a field and sow barley.’ Lukman sowed oats instead. At the time of harvest his master went to the place, and seeing the green oats springing up asked him, ‘Did I not tell you to sow barley here? Why, then, have you sown oats?’ He answered, ‘I sowed oats in the hope that barley would grow.’ His master said, ‘What foolish idea is this? Have you ever heard of the like?’ Lukman replied, ‘You are constantly sowing in the field of the world the seeds of evil, and yet expect to reap in the resurrection the fruits of virtue!’ The master, abashed, set the slave free."

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR