Suicide
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Suicides in the Bible
Suicides in the Bible
How many suicides are noted in the Bible? 4
Who were they? Judas Iscariot, King Saul, Zimri & Ahithophel
And all circumstances were completely different, let’s explore them in detail.
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot
Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.
Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.
Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
What does it mean “his own place”? Was it heaven or hell?
What could we imply from what Christ says in these verses?
Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.
Does this mean all those who commit suicide go to hell? No
References are very specific to the one who would betray Christ.
King Saul
King Saul
And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, Saul’s sons. And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers. Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him. So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.
Was Saul to end up in hell? No
What does Samuel prophecy about where Saul and his sons will end up?
Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.
Zimri
Zimri
How long did Zimri reign? 7 days
He conspired to take the kingship but when his plan backfired he knew his fate would be death and he burnt the king’s house with himself inside.
In the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah did Zimri reign seven days in Tirzah. And the people were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. And the people that were encamped heard say, Zimri hath conspired, and hath also slain the king: wherefore all Israel made Omri, the captain of the host, king over Israel that day in the camp. And Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. And it came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the palace of the king’s house, and burnt the king’s house over him with fire, and died, For his sins which he sinned in doing evil in the sight of the Lord, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he did, to make Israel to sin.
Ahithophel
Ahithophel
And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.
Why did Ahithophel conspire against king David?
Absalom was a pawn he could easily maneouvre
What relation was Ahithophel to Bathsheba? He was her grandfather
Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maachathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,
And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
Ahithophel was Bathsheba’s granddaughter - was there some resentment against what David had done to Uriah?
A wise counsellor who knows his impending doom, having not his advice followed, knew that Absalom would be overthrown and the least that would happen to him would be a demotion, which he could not live with. His own pride was his downfall.
Euthanasia
Euthanasia
Notice there's no emotion with Ahithophel. It's quite clinical. Somewhat like euthanasia today - if people don't want to live for whatever reason and this is their decision then so be it.
There was a story in the paper the other day about a man who was 104 years old and who hardly ever got sick, but now just didn't want to live. So he flew to Sweden and took a lethal injection.
How would you respond to someone who tells you that they plan on taking their life very soon?
Jordan Peterson’s Response
Jordan Peterson’s Response
Source:
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/there-is-always-tomorrow-jordan-peterson-offers-four-reasons-to-choose-life/news-story/b7947b3acdb9cfc8c67f520ed6382570?login=1
Jordan Peterson was asked from an audience member, Chad, who asked:
"I plan on taking my own life very soon. Why shouldn't I?"
Jordan Peterson thought about his response for awhile. Peterson hesitated before deciding to answer, telling the crowd that he wasn’t sure he could give the question the care and attention it deserved.
Reason 1: Other People
Reason 1: Other People
First, anyone contemplating suicide should “think very carefully through the consequences for other people”, Peterson said. “I have clients in my clinical practice who have never recovered from the suicide of a family member. Decades later, they are still torturing themselves about it.
“Believe me, you will absolutely wipe them out in a way they will never recover from. You cannot fix someone’s suicide. You’re stuck with it. The problem is, you might be dreaming out that. Maybe you think life is beset against you. Maybe you’re thinking people deserve to suffer for the misery they have imposed upon you.But I would say: Think very, very carefully before you go down that route, because (suicide) will absolutely devastate, in ways you can’t imagine, the people you leave behind."
Reason 2: You Owe it To Yourself to Explore All Possible Alternatives
Reason 2: You Owe it To Yourself to Explore All Possible Alternatives
“If you haven’t talked to a psychologist, talked to a psychiatrist, if you haven’t tried antidepressants, if you haven’t revealed to your family that this is how you’re feeling, if you haven’t been to the hospital, well, explore any possible avenue before you take a final step,” Peterson said.
Believe it or not, there are treatments for depression, and some of them even work.
“For some people, antidepressants work,” Peterson said. “They don’t work for everyone. I’m not claiming they are a panacea, but they certainly beat the hell out of suicide. Even if they have some negative side effects — and they do, quite frequently they do — the negative side effects aren’t fatal. So try that.
“You owe it to yourself to try everything else.
“A wise man that I once worked for — a psychologist at the maximum-security prison in Edmonton — he used to say: ‘You can always commit suicide tomorrow.’
“That’s a flippant statement, but he meant it in a very serious way. With suicide, you only get to decide once. And you can put it off. So I would say: Put it off, and see what you can do to put yourself together. What the hell do you have to lose?”
Reason 3: consider the possibility that your existence matters in ways that we as human beings, being puny in thought and exiguous in understanding, can’t quite grasp.
Reason 3: consider the possibility that your existence matters in ways that we as human beings, being puny in thought and exiguous in understanding, can’t quite grasp.
“Consider that your life has intrinsic value,” Peterson said, meaning you can’t just opt out, because to do so will leave a “hole in the fabric of being itself”.
That’s going to be tough for a depressed person, who perhaps can’t see the goodness they’re bringing to the table, but consider it anyway.
Reason 4: You are not your own
Reason 4: You are not your own
“Don’t be so sure that your life is yours to take. You don’t own yourself the way you own an object … you can’t just casually bring (your life) to an end because, the fact is, suicide is wrong.”
Now, you may take umbrage, but on this, if nothing else, all the major faiths agree: it’s morally wrong — no excuses, no exceptions, no further explanation needed — to take your own life.
Chad's response:
Chad's response:
His tweet went like this (I’ve kept the typos in, for charm): “Hey Dr Peterson. It’s Chad … I don’t really believe in fate, but I have never felt my adrenaline rush like I did tonight Never in a million years would I expect you to actually get to my question.”
Job
Job
Did Job ever contemplate suicide? No
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.
Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: But I will maintain mine own ways before him.