John 10: 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Before we delve into our study, let us take a look at the raw data, for it is a fact that suicide is on the rise in a land of opportunity and privilege. The problem affects a broad spectrum of society, including folks from all walks of life, and since it is on the increase, we must now address it, and find out what the Bible has to say about it.
Suicide is now the second leading cause of death in children ages 10>14. The suicide rate among people aged 10–24 increased 62% from 2007 through 2021. The rate of suicide among teen males has increased fivefold from 1950>1990.
The suicide rate for people aged 20–24 increased 63% from 2001 through 2021. In 2021, there were on average 127.2 suicides every day, among U.S. adults. And the problem is also to be found among veterans, because in 2020 there were 6,146 Veteran suicides, which averages to 16.8 Veterans dying by suicide every day.
Question: What could be causing such a dramatic increase in death by suicide and what does the Bible say about it? In doing research it is discovered that there are several contributing factors that may lead a person to take their own life, and the problem also exists in those of religious affiliation, even though a plethora of studies suggest it being lower in people of faith.
The following are just some of the reasons why one considers taking their own life: Discouragement, or depression, PTSD, financial problems, as was found to be the case when the great recession settled like a dark cloud upon the nation, and persons began to lose their jobs, and their homes on a large scale.
During that awful time some people felt defeated, in losing their homes, the single largest investment, or asset for most families, and rather than go through harsh foreclosure proceedings, some people chose to call it quits, and took their own life prematurely.
Then there is drug abuse, cyber bullying, sextortion, loneliness, mental health issues, sexual abuse as a minor, sadness or grief, shame, worthlessness, that life is not worth living, and intense guilt. Let’s read:
CNN:
About two weeks after his oldest son’s funeral, South Carolina state house Rep. Brandon Guffey says he received a private Instagram message with a laughing emoji. Gavin Guffey, 17, had fatally shot himself in a bathroom in July 2022, and the grieving father was searching for clues on what led to his suicide.
Then Guffey and his younger son began to get messages demanding money in exchange for nude photos of his late son. Anyone on Gavin’s Instagram followers list who had the last name Guffey got similar messages, his father says.
The family began piecing together Gavin’s last moments and discovered he had encountered a scammer on Instagram and unwittingly became a victim of sexual extortion, a crime the FBI warns is increasingly targeting underage boys and leading to an alarming increase in suicides nationwide.
CNN
Almost exactly one year ago, 14-year-old Adriana Kuch was attacked by a group of teens in a hallway of Central Regional High School in Berkeley Township, New Jersey. No one expected it to be the last week of her life.
Adriana had been bullied leading up to the assault on February 1, 2023, her family said. The gruesome attack was captured on video and promptly uploaded to social media, where Adriana became the target of more vitriol and cyberbullying.
Less than two days later, Adriana killed herself in her home as “a result of the emotional distress, humiliation, and embarrassment she experienced,” according to a lawsuit filed by her family this week against the Central Regional Board of Education, the school district’s former superintendent and others.
Individuals are also observed to consider suicide in some instances when they feel they are a burden to others, and that they might be trapped in situations where things would never get better.
Other contributing factors include intense physical, or emotional pain, and evolutionary reasons, since evolution teaches that there was not any intelligent, original purpose in man coming into being, as they claim.
And since according to evolution, we came here by accident, some persons don’t see any reason to live if things are not working out for them. When people are led to believe that there was no purpose to their existence, suicide becomes a viable option, if their backs are against a wall, with seemingly no way out.
There’s also the issue of terminal illness and the use of certain potent drugs, which are known to induce suicidal thoughts. In our day, there is the practice of assisted suicide, where people engage the services of persons in the medical field, to bring about their untimely end, due to terminal illness.
Our first passage teaches us that the good news of the gospel, produces a culture of life, and as such, is to be an important part of any study on the issue of suicide. One of the main reasons for this is the fact that the gospel offers hope, which is an increasingly rare commodity in our troubled world.
When individuals have something worthwhile to live for, and something better to look forward to, it gives them the impetus to live, because they are enabled and encouraged to rise above the here and now and focus on the great hereafter.
In scriptural terminology it is better known as the blessed hope, by which persons are energized and animated to reach forward to those things which are before, even though on this planet things might get pretty bleak, which they are scheduled to.
If all there is to life is to work hard and pay bills with no hope of eternal life then the impetus to continue living, when one is at rock bottom, becomes fragile. The apostle Paul sums up this perspective in words that make manifest the secular world view of living. Let’s read:
1st Corinthians 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
32 If after the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die.
Therefore, we will address some of the reasons why persons choose suicide as a way out, and then we’ll let the Bible speak for itself, as it pertains to God’s will in the matter, and we will present remedies, and preventive ways and means, so that folks can avoid going that route. We will begin with one of leading causes, or triggers for suicide.
[1] Depression.
It is described as a mood disorder that is marked by varying degrees of sadness, despair, and loneliness and that is typically accompanied by inactivity, guilt, loss of concentration, social withdrawal, with sleep disturbances, and sometimes suicidal tendencies.
Most persons go through some form of depression in their lifetime some more some less. However, the triggering mechanisms often vary from one person to another. For example, king Solomon had become depressed after he sought for fulfillment, and joy in the wrong places.
He had set about to get meaning out of life from the material possessions he owned, but he soon found out that the more things he accumulated, the more frustrated he became. Material things are good and meaningful in their legitimate sphere, but when the higher purposes of life are subjugated by materials, depression will almost certainly set in.
Whenever a person’s ambitions are only centered in the here and now, he/ she will be a prime candidate for depression and that’s because material things do not and cannot satisfy the deep longings, and needs of the human soul.
They may give a false sense of happiness for a while, but sooner or later they will lose all their luster, for the spiritual aspects of man’s existence cannot ever be fulfilled through materials alone. It’ll take much more than our favorite things to find meaning, and joy in living. Let’s read:
Ecclesiastes 2:3 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.
Mirth Meaning: Mirth is the state of being glad or happy, especially with laughter. This includes, but is not limited to Saturday Night Live, Comedy Central, and other such forums which specialize and peddle in jokes and laughter. The fact is that you can only laugh so much, but after laughter, there you’ll still have the realities of life to confront.
Laughter is good to some degree but it could never come even close to the joy that a relationship with Jesus brings, for laughter by itself will lift your spirits for a while, just like how coffee will give you a boost temporarily, but after it wears off, you are left in the same position as before and sometimes even worse.
Solomon also tried getting satisfaction from wealth, and the accumulation of material things. He built several houses, and constructed several pools, and he had thousands of chariots and horses, and all the eye could wish for, he got to himself.
But he soon found out that you could have a house with ten bedrooms and five bathrooms, but you can only sleep in one bed at a time and you can only use one toilet at a time. You can have several chariots or cars, but you can only drive in one at a time. In fact, the Toyota Camry, and the Lamborghini both have one thing in common; they will take you from point A to point B.
The accumulation of a lot of material things, solely for the purpose of having them, could lead to a form of depression and frustration. If they are not put to good use in worthy causes, they just create clutter, as can be seen in some of our wardrobes, where a million and one dresses, suits, and shoes just sit in our closets gathering dust.
And sometimes, it’s only when we have to move to another residence that we realize how many things we had in our possession, but never used. There are some garages which are full to overflowing, with all types of stuff, to the point where persons could be found purchasing things that they already have, but just do not know.
It may be much better to have your spring cleaning, and give the unwanted materials, and unused items to the Salvation army, who will distribute the goods to those who need them most, to the homeless and the less fortunate, who will actually use them. This was Solomon‘s predicament, as he sought out joy in the abundance of his favorite things. Let’s read:
Ecclesiastes 2: 4 I made me great works; I built me houses; I planted me vineyards.
5 I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits.
6 I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:
7 I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also, I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me.
8 I gathered me also silver and gold and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I got me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.
11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do, and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
And so it was, that after all of his effort at procuring things, after all the laughter had subsided, and after all of the wine he had drunk had worn off, Solomon became extremely depressed, for his joy came from the wrong sources.
And wherever this is the case, a person would be in serious danger of suicidal thoughts, since the utter disappointment with materials could drive one into severe despondency. Let’s read:
Ecclesiastes 2:17 Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
18 Yea, I hated all my labor which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
19 And who knows whether he shall be a wise man
or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labor wherein I have labored, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.
20 Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labor which I took under the sun.
[2] Depression and suicidal thoughts are sometimes triggered when individuals are overwhelmed with financial problems, with no end or any resolution in sight.
Satan is determined to tighten the financial nooses of never-ending debts around the necks of persons, and if the situation is not corrected, it can cause one to think of suicide as the only way out.
During the financial meltdown of 2008 and beyond, this is what actually took place on several different levels. On man, who had lost his house and his job, terminated his entire family of five including himself for in his mind he could see no viable way out of his dilemma.
Other wall street executives took their own lives, as the cold realities of losing everything they put their money into, was found to be going up in smoke. It is one of the most successful snares of devils to cause persons to be straddled with insurmountable debt, for when this is the case, it could drive individuals to extremes. Let’s read:
Nehemiah 9:1 And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.
2 For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore, we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and live.
3 Some also there were that said, we’ve mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth.
4 There were also that said, we’ve borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.
5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards.
[3] Deep depression, and suicidal thoughts can also be triggered by Cyber-bullying, Sextortion, Incest, or Sexual abuse as a minor, and these particular issues are scheduled to get a whole lot worse, especially with the introduction of artificial intelligence, as can be clearly observed with what recently took place with Taylor Swift.
Sextortion is the practice of putting sexually explicit videos or pictures of a person on the internet by an extortioner, who then seeks a ransom to take them back down.
But with artificial intelligence now being able to add modified bodies of other persons to your face, and with so much of our personal information already in the public square, what we saw with Taylor Swift is just the tip of the iceberg.
Those who once rejoiced and lauded the benefits of A.I. would soon have pause for concern as nefarious cyber bandits, and bad actors, will significantly ramp up their activities, and incursions against persons, in so much that Mark Zuckerberg had to apologize to congress, and to parents who had lost their kids to suicide as a result of cyber bullying.
We are becoming prisoners of our own devices, and since the horses have already left the barn, we must expect to see more and more suicidal thoughts and actions in the near future. A.I. has made an existing problem a lot worse, but in reality, sexual crimes of all stripes have always been around, even in Bible times. Let’s read:
2nd Samuel 13:10 And Amnon said unto Tamar, Bring the meat into the chamber, that I may eat of thine hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother.
11 And when she had brought them unto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her, Come lie with me, my sister.
12 And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly.
13 And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? and as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee.
14 Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her.
15 Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone.
16 And she said unto him, There is no cause: this evil in sending me away is greater than the other that thou didst unto me. But he would not hearken unto her.
19 And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of different colors that was on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went on crying.
[4] Depression and suicidal thoughts could also be induced because of terminal illness, where persons might be given only weeks or months to live.
This particular situation has been amplified with the practice of assisted suicide, by which persons could request some potent mix from certain doctors in an effort to call it quits. It’s tough to be told that you’re terminally ill and some individuals, rather than allow the inevitable to be prolonged, they may opt for the quickest way out.
Living with severe perpetual pain and living with the thought that you are terminally ill can drive one into despondency, and therefore, we must now turn to the scriptures to see what the Bible has to say about the issue of suicide, and what can be done about it.
The following points must be understood clearly, so as to certify God’s will on the issue.
[1] Our human body does not belong to us, for we are the property of God both by creation and by redemption. In other words, we are owned twice over by The Lord who made us. Let’s read:
1st Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
Psalms 100: 3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
When you hear songs on the radio such as “It’s my life” and “I did it my way” the words are a reflection of the fact that many are ignorant of the fact that all of us, without exception, belong to God.
In spite of what you might hear on radio, on TV, and even on the campaign trail, God owns both of the front runner candidates, both President Biden, and Donald Trump, together with Nikki Haley and all the senators and members of the house.
Taylor Swift, and Beyonce, and Snoop Dog, and Pit Bull are all the property of God. They may or may not choose to acknowledge this fact, but that does not change what the Scriptures solemnly declare about whose we are.
Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk are also owned by God, in addition to all Atheists, all Christians, Hindus and Muslims and all satanists, they are, without any exception the sole property of God, whether they believe it or not. A person does not have to believe, nor does one have to be baptized, in order to come under the umbrella of ownership by God. Let’s read:
Ezekiel 18: 4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins, it shall die.
Acts 17: 28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, for we are also his offspring.
Daniel 4:17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the Most-High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever he will, and He sets up over it the basest of men.
This first fact leads us to our second logical point:
[2] Since we belong to God, we cannot legally take that which is not ours. Some persons are ignorant of this fact, and in times of ignorance God might wink, but from a legal perspective, we are not authorized to take our life, which belongs to God.
Not everything that is permitted by governments is, right, for nations often sign into law the very things which God has proscribed and even though assisted suicide may be legal according to Caesar’s law, God who owns us has never given the permission for any person to assist another in taking their own life.
It might be lauded as being humane, and in certain inevitable circumstances, it may seem as the logical thing to do, but there is absolutely no support for that in the Scriptures. When Saul became terminally wounded, because of the injuries he suffered whilst in battle, he requested of his armor bearer to assist him in suicide.
The armor bearer recoiled at Saul’s request for even though Saul was fatally wounded, and would have died anyway, it rubbed the servant as being wrong, and he could not do it, with a clear conscience. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 31:2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchishua, Saul's sons.
3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.
4 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.
5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.
6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.
Later on, an Amalekite came running to David, to bring the “good news” of Saul’s death, and while he was relating the story, he admitted to David that he had assisted Saul in suicide hoping that David would rejoice.
But lo and behold, David’s countenance fell, and he together with his fellows began to mourn greatly, to the chagrin of the Amalekite. Soon after David took the man’s life, by the direction of God, as retribution for assisting Saul in what might have seemed at the time to be the logical and humane thing to do. Let’s read:
2nd Samuel 1:2 And it came to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance.
4 And David said unto him, how went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.
5 And David said unto the young man that told him, how knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?
6 And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.
7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, here am I.
8 And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite.
9 He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me.
10 So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.
13 And David said unto the young man that told him, whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.
14 And David said unto him, how were you not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?
15 And David called one of the young men, and said, go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died.
To those who may be considering calling it quits, but who might not be terminal, like Saul was, there are hotlines, and phone numbers, provided by nations and governments to help in such situations, so that there’s no need for you to die prematurely.
Help is most readily available, and there are many outreach ministries by churches, and organizations, so that the one who is suicidal in their thoughts can avoid taking their own life.
This will be particularly applicable to teenagers and young adults who have a lifetime of opportunities before them, and who can, by the grace of God and other remedial actions live a life full of meaning and purpose. Let’s read:
Isaiah 41: 10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Psalms 34: 18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit.
Luke 4: 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
However, there are times when despondency and discouragement can drive persons into depression, and they might feel as if life is not worth the living anymore. There are times when even the Christian may become frustrated with God, and may desire to call it quits.
Jesus suffered depression as mortal conflict loomed into view in the garden of Gethsemane. And in most cases Christians also go through times of depression where they feel like if God has either forsaken them or has forgotten about them. Frustration with God is one of the aspects of Christian life that can promote growth, and faith in God, if we stay the course with Him.
Several Bible characters became frustrated with God and experienced depression as a result yet they came out stronger on the other side as they hung in there, and as they dug in their heels, holding on by faith to the only One who could save them. Let’s read:
Jeremiah 20:7 O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived; thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I’m in derision daily, everyone mocks me.
8 For since I spoke, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily.
9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.
John, David, Jeremiah and the twelve disciples went through some periods of frustrations, but they were made the better and stronger, by hanging in there. But being frustrated with God is not a good reason to end one’s life prematurely.
If ever, and whenever this may be the case, the Lord would have us to understand that we still should not take it upon ourselves to take our own life. We are to wait on Him, trusting that He knows what’s best, and that He is not only mindful of our affliction, but is actively working out things for our best good.
As the very last resort if you feel that the burden is too heavy, if the pain is too great and relentless, and the depression and frustrations of life are too great, one can ask God to take his/ her life, and if God sees fit, He very well might, but never should we take it upon ourselves to take the life God gave us, for it is not ours. Let’s read:
1st Kings 19:2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So, let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.
3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
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.
9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
15 And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when you come, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.
Numbers 11: 11 And Moses said unto the Lord, wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favor in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?
14 I am not able to bear this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.
15 And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favor in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.
The culture of the gospel is a culture of life and even if things do not go the way we’d expected, or hoped, and even when the horizons might look bleak, and foreboding, God desires that we wait upon Him and not rush to conclusions, for the trial of our faith will eventually bring us forth like gold.
Whenever suicidal thoughts creep upon you, take it to The Lord in prayer, seek for help that is available, and try to sing songs of praise, for doing so, causes devils to flee. The thought of taking one’s life does not originate with God, for Jesus came to give us a life that’s more abundant.
Therefore, if you find satan sitting on your shoulders and whispering things that ought not to be done, it is then time to seek God for His resolutions to your predicament, but never should we go before Him, to end our life, before the appointed time. We will end with three passages of scripture that will make clear God’s will in this matter. Let’s read:
Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.
John 7:1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.
3 His brethren therefore said unto him, depart from hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that You do.
6 Then Jesus said unto them, My time has not yet come: but your time is always ready.
8 Go you up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast: for my time is not yet full come.
Psalms 116:15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
God Bless!