INTRO: We don’t deal openly with some social problems. We think they will go away if we ignore them. They don’t go away.
Suicide is one such problem. We don’t talk about it often. It is shocking. It leaves us speechless. It leaves us helpless and we don’t have the slightest idea how to deal with it.
Suicide is closer to us than many people think. Maybe you have considered it. Maybe you never will consider suicide, but chances are that someone you know will. What will you do then? Will you know how to help? Will you sit by powerlessly?
Does the Bible have anything to say about suicide? If we can understand the feelings, emotions, and rationalizations that motivate one to take his life, perhaps we can help someone who stands on the brink of that dark abyss looking down into the bottomless pit.
I. WHY DO SOME PEOPLE ATTEMPT SUICIDE?
It would be naïve to think that the reasons are always the same. Likewise, they are not limited to the ones listed below.
A) To Fail. Many attempt suicide in order to fail. Such efforts at self-destruction are often cries for help—so others can see the seriousness of that person’s distress. Most suicide attempts actually fail.
B) To Escape Problems Of Life. Many see death as the only other option to a life full of problems. They feel that not even death can be worse than their lives are now.
C) They Don’t Feel That They Belong. Regardless of how popular or loved they are, they don’t feel like they belong. They feel that everything will be the same with or without them, and no one will miss them. They feel isolated and all alone.
D) They Have No Vision Of A Brighter Future. They rationalize, “Why continue living such a dismal existence… it will never get any better!” They feel there is nothing to live for—life is not worth living.
II. WHAT FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH SUICIDE?
A) Depression. Life is full of problems (cf. Job 5:7). Is there anyone who doesn’t get depressed in the middle of them? I think not. Why does depression cause some people to take their lives while other people snap out of it? Some people feed their depression. Instead of dealing with it in positive ways, they make it worse through self-pity, withdrawal, pessimism, and anger. They begin to think of themselves as worthless, useless, and unimportant. They feel like a burden to everyone else—that everyone would be better off without them.
1) The prophet Elijah exhibited these feelings and emotions, and wanted to die (1 Kings 19:1-18). Elijah had just faced an entire nation, challenging them to turn to God and leave Baal. Single-handedly, he stood up for the Lord as God exhibited His power showing whose God was really God! Queen Jezebel threatened his life because of it, and he fled in fear (19:1-3).
2) Elijah was ready to die, “But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, ‘It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!’” (19:4). He thought the situation was hopeless. He was wrong. Twice when God asked him what was wrong, Elijah replied “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.” (19:10,14). It was true that the people of Israel had done those terrible things, but Elijah was wrong to think that he was alone (19:18).
3) No matter how he felt, Elijah was not alone. But notice what destructive things Elijah did to conclude that all was hopeless—he isolated himself (19:3-4,9), he forgot about God’s deliverance from the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:17-40), he indulged in self-pity (19:10,14), he became pessimistic (19:10,14), and by doing all of those things, he continued feeding his depression.
4) What did God tell him to do to relieve his depression? He told him to get busy doing the Lord’s work (19:15-16). He also told him that his pessimistic attitude about the nation was wrong (19:18). Someone once said, “I must lose myself in service lest I wither in despair.” God knew that service, action, and setting the prophet’s thinking straight would deliver him from his suicidal depression. Surely there is something in there for us to learn.
5) In the middle of a severe, prolonged depression, and apparently hopeless odds, many people take their own lives. These people—like Elijah—have wrongly assessed their circumstances. They had not explored all of the alternatives. Their depression has distorted their thinking. Depression always distorts our thinking!
B) An Escape From Problems. Some see death as an escape from their problems. The same kind of reasoning causes people to turn to drugs and alcohol. But problems can never be escaped! They must be met, faced, challenged, and overcome. Death seems like a welcome relief from life’s pain, when there seems to be more pain than happiness. People are willing to risk the uncertainties and shadows of death over a pain they know is very real in life.
1) Job longed for death in order to rest from his weariness and pain, “Why did I not die at birth? Why did I not perish when I came from the womb?” began Job’s lengthy cry of pain and anguish (Job 3:11-26). He was in so much pain he wanted his life to end, “Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul… So that my soul chooses strangling and death rather than my body. I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone, for my days are but a breath.” (Job 7:11,15-16).
2) Paul was not suicidal, but he too saw death as a welcome relief from the afflictions and problems of life, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.” (Philippians 1:21-24).
C) Pride. Some people have done something terrible, something shameful, and they cannot face themselves or other people. Or they have been humiliated in some way and cannot cope with their hurt pride. They feel like failures. To such people death is more honorable than life.
1) King Saul could not bear the thought of public humiliation in his defeat, so he took his life (1 Samuel 31:3-5).
2) Ahithophel did not necessarily see death as an honorable thing after his counsel was rejected, but he saw life following that event being a dishonorable thing (2 Samuel 17:23). He chose not to live with that embarrassment.
3) Failure in our lives does not imply that someone is a failure as a person and therefore worthless. It merely implies that he was unable to accomplish his purpose! Actually, that failure can be a vehicle through which God can work—when we are weak, we can tap into the strength of God (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
III. WHAT IS THE ANSWER?
A) Jesus Christ Is The Answer. The Philippian jailor chose to escape his predicament through Jesus Christ rather than through death (Acts 16:27,30-34). Death is never the solution, Christ is always the solution!
B) Jesus Came To Help Us. He delivers the discouraged and the distraught, “And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.’” (Luke 4:17-21).
C) Jesus Seeks To Give The Weary Rest. He seeks the weary and heavy-hearted to give them rest—not rest in death but in life, “Come to Me. all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30). In Christ, we have greater strength to draw on than our own (2 Corinthians 12:9-10; Philippians 4:13).
Your life is sacred. It is special. It is a gift of God. Give it a chance.
