Morning Moments

Today I would like to address an unusual subject in response to a recent question asked about the subject of suicide.

Let me say that I have always been more concerned with the question “how” than the speculative “if” although both have a place of importance. Let me illustrate:

Suppose my son goes to war. I don’t he is a believer in Christ, so where he goes when he dies is not a question for me, but “how” he comes home alive is more important to me. If he is so severely wounded that he comes home as a vegetable, it (for him), might have been more important to have died.

We tend to be more concerned with his coming home than how he comes home. If he were lost without Christ, we know he would not go to heaven anyway, so “how” he comes home becomes far more important to us.

All of us want to believe that our loved ones go to heaven when then die regardless of “how” they die, but the truth is that one only goes to heaven through faith in God’s saving grace as revealed in His Son, Jesus Christ. “There is no other name under heaven through which we may be saved”.

So our personal faith in Jesus Christ determines the “if”, with which we seem to be more concerned, regardless of the “how”. That being the case, let’s look at Wilmington’s Bible Lists regarding suicide. There are seven:

1. Abimelech, the son of Gideon, who had his armor-bearer kill him after being injured by a woman Judg. 9:54
2. Samson, the strong man who destroyed a building, thus killing himself and a multitude of Philistines Judg. 16:26-30
3. Saul, who killed himself after losing a battle to the Philistines 1 Sam. 31:4
4. Saul’s servant, who killed himself as his master had done 1 Sam. 31:5
5. Ahithophel, who hanged himself after his advice was rejected by Absalom 2 Sam. 17:23
6. Zimri, who set the palace on fire with himself inside rather than being taken prisoner 1 Kings 16:18
7. Judas Iscariot, who hanged himself after betraying Jesus

We know where three of the seven went when they died, which settles the matter of “if”. We also know from the context “how”. Let’s consider the three –

1. Saul – This is a most interesting case, for Saul fell on his own sword according to Scripture. It was customary for the leader of an army to do this rather than to be captured. But here is the record regarding King Saul (not Saul or Paul) of the New Testament.

Israel demanded of God a king like all the other nations. God’s choice was David, but Israel would not wait, so God gave them Saul, a man who towered over other men; the kind of man most of us would want to lead us into war.

Just before his death, Saul, so typical of the “flesh”, went to the witch of Endore, which Israel was forbidden to do according to Leviticus 19:31. Saul did consult a female diviner to raise up the ghost of Samuel (1 Sam. 28:9).

To the amazement of both the diviner and Saul, the prophet Samuel appeared and the key to this is that the prophet said,

15 “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Samuel asked Saul.
“I’m in serious trouble,” replied Saul. “The Philistines are fighting against me and God has turned away from me. q He doesn’t answer me any more, r either through the prophets or in dreams. So I’ve called on you to tell me what I should do.”
16 Samuel answered, “Since the LORD has turned away from you and has become your enemy, why are you asking me? 17 The LORD has done s exactly what He said through me: The LORD has torn the kingship out of your hand and given it to your neighbor David. t 18 You did not obey the LORD and did not carry out His wrath against Amalek; u therefore the LORD has done this to you today. 19 The LORD will also hand Israel over to the Philistines along with you. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, v w and the LORD will hand Israel’s army over to the Philistines.”
20 Immediately, Saul fell flat on the ground. He was terrified by Samuel’s words and was also weak because he hadn’t had any food all day and all night.

Saul’s destiny is an implied one from the text, for we know that the prophet Samuel was in the place of the righteous dead known as Paradise or Abraham’s Bosom.

Samson – This one we KNOW because he was listed in Hebrews 11, the NT faith chapter.
Samson’s life had been one that was certainly not characteristic of a spiritual believer. Most of know the story of his hair and his honey, Delilah. Whatever we might argue about his unspiritual life, in the final moments he knew the presence of God. Remember that “how” he got where he was to be used of God was reproachable.

Judas - There was a special place in hell for this man, but it is clear that he went to the place of the unrighteous dead.

Much about suicide is debatable. Does the mind lose its ability to think clearly? Is it a result of severe depression and despondency? There are so many questions, but what we know is what we know from Scripture. NO, a person who commits suicide does not necessarily go to hell, because it is not “murder” or the taking of the life of another. And YES a person may be one of “faith” and for whatever reason may take one’s own life.

BUT here is the clincher: How do you wish to meet your maker? You can meet him ashamed or unashamed. That is why I said that I am more concerned with the “how”, for the “if” has been settled through personal faith in Christ.

Volumes could be written on the subject as well as much debate, but I have tried to Biblically summarize.

Blessings!