Introduction: (Suicide is a subject that God s people do not talk about very much, and yet we hear about it almost every day of our lives. Movie stars and celebrities often make the news because of suicide. Jack Kavorkian has made the subject of "assisted suicide" for the terminally ill front-page news. But for many, if not most, of us it is not some national headline but a very personal thing because:
1. We know of people who have attempted suicide and failed.
2. We know of people who have actually committed suicide.
3. We know of others who have contemplated suicide as the answer to life s problems.
4. And perhaps the thought has even crossed your mind, if only for a fleeting moment.
Can it ever be that people who kill themselves are right with God? The question of suicide is an important issue and growing more so. It is certainly worth our while to think about it.)I. Biblical Examples: (In these cases there is a clear, though implicit, negative judgment about the suicide. Sinful behavior brought misery. As the life was overwhelmed with the consequence of sin, the person took suicide as the "way out".)1. Abimelek: Judges 9:50-54 (Abimelek, the power-hungry son of Gideon, killed himself out of pride. A woman of the enemies threw a millstone on his head and mortally wounded him, but he couldn t bear the thought of being killed by a woman, so he commanded his armor-bearer to run him through.)
II. Biblical Principals: (So we have explored Bible examples of suicide. Our task now is to search for what principles that are taught in the Bible that might guide us in this matter. When we do, we find the following seven principals that lead us to a sure and certain judgment about it.)2. Ahithophel: II Sam. 17:23 (Ahithophel was an adviser to King David s son, Absalom. Absalom had seized the throne, and put his father on the run. Ahithophel advised him to go immediately and kill King David, but Absalom listened instead to Hushai, who counseled him to wait. Ahithophel was so shamed at being rejected that he went home and hanged himself . We can see from these two examples that suicide was not portrayed as good or positive.)
3. Saul: 1 Sam. 31:3-4 (We see the same negative light in the cases of the two suicidal kings, Saul and Zimri. In each case, the king chose to kill himself rather than be taken by the enemy. Saul fell on his own sword to avoid capture by the Philistines.) II Sam. 1:1-16 (Note that the one who assisted Saul in committing suicide was accountable as well.)
4. Zimri: 1 Kings 16:18-19 (Zimri, besieged by his rival, burned his own palace down over him. Both kings were spiritual failures before their deaths. Their suicides are not presented as heroic, but as the end result of wicked, increasingly depraved careers.)
5. Judas: Mt. 27:3-5 (After seeing that his betrayal of Christ would result in crucifixion, Judas fell apart. Rather than repenting with godly sorrow, his sorrow of the world brought death.)
1. The Sanctity of Life: Rom 13:9 (Thou shalt not commit murder." This commandment prohibits murder, which is the willfull and malicious taking of the life of another. Suicide is murder of one s self.) Genesis 9:6 (Earthly human life is a precious gift from God. It alone of all God s creations is said to be crafted in his image. We cannot destroy something so holy and so precious, as if it no longer had enough value even to exist. With God, if not with man, all human life remains a holy and precious thing.)
Conclusion: (These biblical principles and the examples are enough to rule out suicide entirely. It can be no option for us. If thoughts of suicide ever come to your mind, then I hope you will let these great spiritual truths overwhelm them. The power of fear, of rash impulses, or of depression can be great, but do not let them sweep you along. Let the peace of God reign in your heart.)2. Our Lives Are A Gift: (Let us say you give your son a car for his 16th birthday. At first he enjoys it. He s just glad to have wheels! Over time, though, little things about it start to bother him. He feels more and more disappointed until he even starts hating it. Finally he takes it to a cliff one day and pushes it off. How would you feel? How might our heavenly Father regard it, then, were we to throw away willfully and bitterly this infinitely more generous gift, this earthly human life that we have from him?)
3. You Are Not Your Own: Romans 14:7-8 (If our life is not our own, then we have no right to dispose of it as we please. We belong to him, body and soul. If it is a sin to take what belongs to another and destroy it, how much more to take what belongs to God and destroy it! As a christian you do not have the right to live for yourself, likewise you do not have the right to die for yourself.)
4. Don t Be Selfish: Phi. 1:21-26 (Paul saw the continuation of his life as an opportunity to serve others. Suicide is generally an act of pure selfishness. It comes of retreating into one s own little world, entirely wrapped up one s own self and in one s own problems and feelings. Self-pity, which is a form of selfishness, often fills the soul. Some, they say, even kill themselves or attempt to, for attention, to make others feel sorry for them. Instead of being this way, we should seek to live on for the benefit of others. Most often, suicide is the ultimate act of self-pity.)
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