Previous Questions and Answers
If
a husband learns (after the fact) that his wife prepared herself to end her own life by
pill over dose, and she demands he do not call for help, and to just let her die, because
she was in so much pain and misery, what does the Bible say about this?
We
are never to knowingly assist someone in committing suicide.
Saul’s
armourbearer was afraid to do such a thing as assist him in suicide. 1 Samuel 31:3-5 says, “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.”
David
ordered the death of a man who claimed to assist Saul in suicide. 2 Samuel 1:5-16 says, “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. 11 Then
David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with
him: 12 And they mourned, and wept, and fasted
until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for
the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.
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
wast thou 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.
16 And David said unto him, Thy
blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain
the LORD'S anointed.”
Assisting
someone in committing suicide is considered as murder.
If faced with an enemy who may abuse the wounded, we should fight the enemy
— not take the life of the one that is wounded. We
never know how God may heal one who is at the point of death. I have seen multiple times where the hospital staff
has called the family in and told them that their loved one was dying — and then
he/she recovered. Life is in the hand of God.
Job
was in misery with his sickness, and just wanted to die.
Job 3:20-22 says, “20 Wherefore
is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul; 21 Which
long for death,
but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures; 22 Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad,
when they can find the grave?”
Job
thought that he was never going to recover. Job
17:11-16 says, “11 My
days are past, my purposes are broken off,
even the thoughts of my heart. 12 They
change the night into day: the light is short because of darkness. 13 If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have
made my bed in the darkness. 14 I have said to
corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister. 15 And where is now my hope? as for my hope,
who shall see it? 16 They shall go down to the
bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust.”
But
Job did recover, and lived on another 140 years, and also had 10 more children. Job 42:12-17 says, “12 So
the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning:
for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen,
and a thousand she asses. 13 He
had also seven sons and three daughters. 14 And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and
the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch. 15 And in all the land were no women found so fair
as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren. 16 After
this lived Job an hundred and forty years,
and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations.
17 So Job died, being old and full of days.”
