SUICIDE

I. Suicide is murder (self-murder). As such, it is forbidden by God.

Exodus 20:13
Deuteronomy 5:17

A. God is the Author of life.

                   Genesis 2:7
                   Deuteronomy 30:20
                   Job 12:10
                   Psalms 66:9
                   Isaiah 42:5
                   Ezekiel 37:10
                   Daniel 5:23
                   Zechariah 12:1
                   Acts 17:25, 28
                   Hebrews 12:9

B. God has a plan for each life, established at conception.

Psalms 139:13-16 For thou hast ... covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made... My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret... Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

Isaiah 49:1, 5 The Lord hath called me from the womb, from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name ... to be his servant, to bring Jacob again unto him...

Jeremiah 1:5 While you were being formed in the belly of the womb," God told the prophet Jeremiah, "I knew you and ordained (intended for) you to be a prophet to the nations.

Galatians 1:15 ...called from my mother's womb.

C. Suicide is the interference with the plan of God for one’s life. As such, it is sin – an act of defiance and rebellion.
(Certainly the mentally ill are not as responsible for their acts as those who are fully aware of what they do.)

Psalms 31:15 My times are in thine hand.

1 Corinthians 6:20 You are not your own, you are bought with a price...

II. What drives a person to desire death?

A. Guilt.

Matthew 27:3-5 When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned,
he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. ‘I have sinned,’ he said,
‘for I have betrayed innocent blood.’... So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

B. Physical pain, exhaustion and lack of sleep; mental depression.

Job 3:1-26; 6:8-11; 14:13

Job 7:1-6, 15, 16 ... wearisome nights are appointed to me. When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day. My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome. My days are ... spent without hope.... So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life. I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity.

Job 10:1 My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

Jonah 4:8 ... and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.

C. Mental illness; demonic possession.

Matthew 8:28 ...there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.

Mark 5:2-5 ...there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains... And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

Luke 8:27 ...there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.

D. Revenge.

Judges 16:23-31 Then Samson prayed to the LORD, ‘...O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.’ Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them,... Samson said, ‘Let me die with the Philistines!’ Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it.

E. Stress (overburdened with a sense of responsibility).

Numbers 11:11-15 And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them...? Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat. I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee...

F. Rejection of advice.

2 Samuel 17:23 When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he ... put his house in order and then hanged himself....

G. Pride or shame (disgrace).

Judges 9:50-54 ... a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull. Hurriedly he called to his armor-bearer, 'Draw your sword and kill me, so that they can't say, ‘A woman killed him.’ So his servant ran him through, and he died.
[As with Sisera (Judges 4), of whom it was said a woman drove a tent peg through his skull]

H. Despair.

Jeremiah 8:3 And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family...

Revelation 9:6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

I. Discouragement or fear.

Acts 16:27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

J. Rebellion; defeat (pride) in battle.

1 Kings 16:15-20 ...When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the royal palace and set the palace on fire around him. So he died, because of the sins he had committed, doing evil in the eyes of the LORD and walking in the ways of Jeroboam and in the sin he had committed and had caused Israel to commit.

1 Samuel 31:2-5 (cp. 1 Chronicles 10:4-5) The Philistines pressed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically. Saul said to his armor-bearer, ‘Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me.’ But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him.

III. Scripture mentions several suicides and temptations to commit suicide.

A. Suicides committed in Scripture.

1. Abimelech.

Judges 9:50-54 ...all the people of the city ...locked themselves in and climbed up on the tower roof. Abimelech went to the tower and stormed it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull. Hurriedly he called to his armor-bearer, 'Draw your sword and kill me, so that they can't say, ‘A woman killed him.’ So his servant ran him through, and he died.

2. Samson.

Judges 16:23-31 Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and ... While they were in high spirits, they shouted, ‘Bring out Samson to entertain us.’ So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them. When they stood him among the pillars, Samson said to the servant who held his hand, ‘Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them.’ Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. Then Samson prayed to the LORD, ‘O Sovereign LORD, ... please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.’ Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them..., Samson said, ‘Let me die with the Philistines!’ Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.

3. Ahithophel.

2 Samuel 17:23 When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his house in order and then hanged himself....

4. Zimri.

1 Kings 16:15-20 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned in Tirzah seven days. The army was encamped near Gibbethon, a Philistine town. When the Israelites in the camp heard that Zimri had plotted against the king and murdered him, they proclaimed Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that very day there in the camp. Then Omri and all the Israelites with him withdrew from Gibbethon and laid siege to Tirzah. When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the royal palace and set the palace on fire around him. So he died, because of the sins he had committed, doing evil in the eyes of the LORD and walking in the ways of Jeroboam and in the sin he had committed and had caused Israel to commit.

5. Saul and his armorbearer.

6. Judas Iscariot.

Matthew 27:3-5 When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. ‘I have sinned,’ he said, ‘for I have betrayed innocent blood.’ ‘What is that to us?’ they replied. That's your responsibility.’ So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

Acts 1:18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

B. Some were tempted to commit suicide but did not follow through with it.

1. The Philippian jailer.

Acts 16:27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

2. Jesus Christ.

Matthew 4:5-6 (cp. Luke 4:9-11) Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

IV. The temptation to kill oneself, or the desire to die, is not in itself a sin (even Jesus was tempted: Matthew 4:5, 6; cp. Luke 4:9-11).

A. Even spiritual men like Moses, Elijah and Job – as well as the prophet Jonah – all expressed a desire to end it all, in times of discouragement.

1. Moses.

Numbers 11:11-15 And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers? Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat. I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.

2. Elijah.

1 Kings 19:4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

3. Job.

Job 3:1-26 After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day. And Job spake, and said, Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived. Let that day be darkness; ... Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes. Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly? ...For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest, ... Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light. There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest. ...Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul; Which long for death, but it cometh not... Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave? Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in? For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters. For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

Job 6:8-11 Oh that I might have my request; and that God would grant me the thing that I long for! Even that it would please God to destroy me; that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!

Job 7:1-6, 15, 16 Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth?.. So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me. When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day. My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome. My days are ... spent without hope.... So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life. I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity.

Job 10:1 My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

Job 14:13 Oh that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!

4. Jonah.

Jonah 4:8 ... and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.

B. Although these audibly expressed their desire to die, Scripture says they merely "requested" it of God. They did not attempt to take their life into their own hands.

C. In the midst of extreme physical pain, having lost many of his family members in a terrible tragedy, as well as his possessions – and abandoned by his wife, who told him to "curse God and die" – Job felt like giving up. At the time, he could not see past his pain; his thinking was not right. However, eventually, his time of testing was done: circumstances changed and Scripture says, "God blessed the end of Job more than his beginning."

D. Hebrews chapter 11 well describes the terrible tortures endured by those in the Hall of Faith/Fame: "cruel mockings and scourgings...bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder... slain with the sword... destitute, afflicted, tormented..." They did not give up; they endured to the end.

V. What is the source or cause of suicidal thoughts?

A. The thought life.

Philippians 4:7-9 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

B. Satan and his demons.

1. "A murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44), Satan seeks "to kill and destroy." (John 10:10) He goes about "like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8)

2. One of his names, Apollyon (Abaddon, Heb.), literally means, "The Destroyer." (Revelation 9:11) Satan's motives are destructive (John 10:10; 1 Peter 5:8) – not only to afflict physically but also to torment mentally – i.e., with thoughts of suicide.

C. Medical science has linked depression and suicidal tendencies to a chemical imbalance – which disrupts one’s thinking.

VI. What was God’s solution in dealing with those tempted with the desire for death?

A. Angels were sent to minister; a word of encouragement.

1 Kings 19:4-8

Matthew 4 (cp. Luke 4)

B. Spiritual deliverance (exorcism) was administered.

Mark 5:2-18 (cp. Matthew 8:28-34; Luke 8:27-39) ... there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones... [And Jesus] said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.... And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.... And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.... And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil... And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.

VII. In the last days, suicide will become even more prevalent.

A. "Behold, the days are coming," Jesus predicted, when the people will "say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us."

Luke 23:30

B. "And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them."

Revelation 9:6

VIII. Can someone who has committed suicide be saved? (They have no more opportunity to repent.)

Jesus said the only unforgivable sin was blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. We are saved by grace, not by confession of our sin.

Matthew 12:31

IX. What is wrong with suicide? If someone wants to end his/her life, don’t they have that right? Who are we to say otherwise?

A. The act of suicide is a demonstration of a lack of faith. "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin."

Romans 14:3

B. Suicide is very selfish, as well as cowardly, for it does not consider the pain of those loved ones who will live to feel the agony and loss.

C. The expression "taking your own life" is unbiblical. Paul says, "You are not your own, you have been bought with a price..."

1 Corinthians 6:20

X. Many will desire death during the last days, especially during the tribulation.

Revelation 9:6

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