The Torah Network

7 hrs

I have over the past year lost some of my old students to suicide and I really want to address this issue on what Scripture says. And please, if you know of someone or if someone on this app feels that they are at the end of their “road” with life, or what is going on in the world and especially in the media or those that are desperate, PLEASE reach out to friends on this app and talk about it – I know and I am sure that we can talk to each other, or be an inspiration to keep going. And I am sure that there are many on this app that sometime in the past had feelings or thoughts like this.

SUICIDE

The act of taking one’s own life voluntarily and intentionally. Though the word “suicide” does not appear in most Bible translations (see however, John 8:22, NLT), the Old Testament records suicides by Saul and his armour bearer (1 Samuel 31:3-6), Ahithophel (2 Samuel 17:23), and Zimri (1 Kings 16:15-19). Judas Iscariot is the only suicide victim mentioned in the New Testament (Matthew 27:3-5). The Bible does not directly condemn suicide but rather treats it as an indication of moral failure, often intensified by guilt, great personal loss or extreme social pressure. Saul had lost his sanity, his stability, and then his three sons on the battlefield. So, he ended his life. Ahithophel, once a trusted counsellor, was ruined by his ambition. When his plot against David was refused by Absalom, he felt disgraced. So, he went home, set his affairs in order, and hanged himself. Judas Iscariot also hung himself, but his suicide was far more tragic. He, one of the twelve disciples, betrayed Yeshua for thirty pieces of silver. Then he deeply regretted what he had done, and brought back the money to the Jewish leaders, saying “I have sinned in that I betrayed an innocent man” (Matthew 27:3-4). As an expression of desperate remorse, Judas hanged himself. In many of these issues, opinions will be strongly divided. But in the official record of “what believers believe” about suicide, most oppose it. However, the Bible never actually comes out and says, “Thou shalt not kill thyself.” In taking a stand against suicide, the church usually cites the prohibition against murder, and then applies it to murdering oneself. This view is given credence if we take a closer look at the biblical accounts of suicides. We discover a number of people who anticipated receiving justice for sins they had committed, and they pre-empted such unpleasant thoughts by taking their own lives. Theirs were acts of desperation rather than noble sacrifices.

These mentioned above, were by no means glorious, romanticized deaths. They were impulsive, final acts of desperate men. Some people include Samson as a casualty of suicide, but others consider his final act more as a heroic self-sacrifice against Yisrael’s enemies (Judges 16:23-31). Scripture also provides a few examples of assisted suicide, as is the case of another judge -- something of a wild and crazy leader -- named Abimelech. While he was attempting to burn down a tower holding a number of people, a woman dropped a millstone from the top and cracked his thick skull. Realizing he was about to die and not wanting to be remembered for such an inglorious death, he had his armour-bearer spear him to death with a sword. (Yet Scripture ironically records the behind-the-scenes story of the lady who conked him on the head. See Judges 9:46-55.) In addition to biblical accounts of suicides are historical ones. Perhaps the most dramatic is the story of Masada, an outpost in the Judean desert where the Jewish Zealots made a final stand against the Romans in A.D. 73. When their defeat was imminent, they opted for mass suicide rather than surrender. According to the historian, Josephus, they drew lots to select ten men who would kill their group of 960. When that gruesome job was done, one of the ten killed the other nine, and then himself. Yet while the issue of suicide has been evident throughout history and perhaps even glorified at times, it has rarely been a culturally accepted practice. It is almost always a sign of hopelessness, which from a believer’s perspective leaves YHVH out of the picture. Hope should be a quality in the life of every growing believer and should be strongest during times of suffering. Another major concern for believers is the belief that YHVH is the source of life to begin with. If we believe that, then who are we to end prematurely what YHVH has given us? We usually think of marriage when we read, “What YHVH has joined together, let man not separate” (Matthew 19:6, NIV). But if we believe that YHVH gives us life just as He breathed the breath of life into Adam, then we dare not take the initiative to separate ourselves from that life flow. Suicide has become the third leading cause of death in the 15-24 age group, sixth among children ages 5-14, and eighth overall. Out of half a million suicide attempts each year, thousands of people succeed in killing themselves. As adults we see the irreparable tragedy of losing youngsters to a period of depression and a single moment of too-great despair. We come to see that essentially any problem, given a month or a year or some amount of time, is capable of being solved. And we mourn the forceful and final act of another’s suicide. Yet we may then come full circle and begin to defend suicide for the elderly or terminally ill. We begin to use terms such as “quality of life” to set standards beyond which we justify an early death. Some defend this dichotomy; others consider it hypocritical. How can we tell a depressed person to hang in there because things are going to get better and then reach to pull the plug on a suffering, aged parent? Of course, when examined on a case-by-case basis, the matter of suicide rarely is simple. Who can blame someone in constant physical agony for wanting to hasten death? After all, death is going to come sometime, sooner or later. Why not sooner? From a purely spiritual perspective, death isn’t something we should fear. In a particularly honest moment, the Apostle Paul even confessed that he had given the matter some thought: “I’m torn between two desires: Sometimes I want to live, and sometimes I long to go and be with Moshiach. That would be far better for me, but it is better for you that I live” (Philippians 1:23-24). Perhaps Paul’s explanation provides the best possible anti-suicide logic. As human beings, and particularly as believers, we have an obligation to look beyond our own feelings and concerns. We see in the aftermath of suicide what a toll it takes on the friends and loved ones who remain. Suicide is perhaps the ultimate act of selfishness. People who take their own lives rob their families of potential decades of growth and affection. And older people who are quick to kick up the morphine drip beyond the point of no return deny future generations of what doctors might learn to better treat someone else. To be sure, everyone’s life contains a fair amount of suffering. In some cases, the amount of suffering is definitely unfair. Yet in the context of eternity, life -- as well as suffering -- is short. Like Job, we cry out in confusion and disappointment. Like Job, the best human advice we receive might seem to be, “Curse YHVH and die!” Like Job, we may be unaware that YHVH sees our every injustice and hears our every cry as all we feel is pain and frustration. And like Job, if we can persevere through the trials, YHVH will eventually restore a sense of stability to life and reward our faithfulness. Some insist that to opt for suicide at any point in life is to turn one’s back on YHVH and deny that He will do as He has promised. Others say you need to be in a situation where you have to watch the awful, endless suffering of a loved one before you can make such a determination. Opinions vary as to the eternal consequences of suicide. In the Catholic tradition, sins such as murder and blasphemy are “mortal sins,” which can lead to eternal punishment if not pardoned at the time of death. And obviously, no one has the opportunity to confess the sin of suicide. Most Protestants consider suicide forgivable if committed by someone who has professed faith in Yeshua. Another common opinion suggests that no one who commits suicide is sound of mind, and therefore such people should not be judged by the same standards as, say, a cold-blooded, intentional murderer. When we are faced with the irreversible pain and tragedy of the suicide of a loved one, we can only trust that YHVH is perfectly fair and just. He will do nothing inappropriate or undeserved, and He will see us through the emotional chaos we are certain to struggle through. Let us take a deeper look into Scripture:

WHAT DOES YHVH SAY ABOUT SUICIDE?

Genesis 1:27: YHVH created people in his own image; YHVH patterned them after himself; male and female he created them. 1 Corinthians 6:20: YHVH bought you with a high price. So, you must honour YHVH with your body. -- Yeshua paid the ultimate sacrifice for us that we could have life. It would go against everything Yeshua taught us to take our own life.

HOW CAN I DEAL WITH THOUGHTS I HAVE ABOUT SUICIDE?

Matthew 28:20: Be sure of this: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” -- Remember that you are not alone. Jeremiah 1:5: “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world.” Jeremiah 29:11: I know the plans I have for you,” says Elohiym. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. -- When you are tempted by thoughts of hopelessness, remember that YHVH created you and has a plan for you.