5 Suicides Before Jesus Went To The Cross

5 Suicides Before Jesus Went To The Cross
 

Only five people who believed in God are written of in the Bible that they committed suicide. The first asked God to let him take his enemies with him, which was granted. The second had a history of rebellion against God, and during a route of his army, out of fear of how he would be treated when captured, and his armorbearer followed his example. The fourth killed his king to become king, and the last was with Jesus, and betrayed Him just as he was predestined, and thereafter went to hang himself. Let's look further into the final folly many have chosen as an option to life's bothers...
Samson was the first believer in the one true God, and he committed suicide as a final act against the enemies of God's chosen people. "And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, 'Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.' And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, 'Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars. And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, 'Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them.' Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport. And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, 'O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray Thee, and strengthen me, I pray Thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.' And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samson said, 'Let me die with the Philistines.' And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life. Then his brethren and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up, and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the buryingplace of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years." (Judg. 16:24 - 31)   Samson had killed 1,030 Philistines prior to his capture, but when he committed suicide in their house of Dagon, he did it in a manner that allowed a greater number than this to be killed by demolishing the entire great house. And he was blind when he did it!   One might note also that Samson did not commit suicide out of spiritual despair; his last words denoted his choice of suicide would be one that simultaneously took out over 1,000 of God's enemies with him!

The second suicide of a believer in the Bible is the story of a good man gone bad.   Saul, Israel's first king, started out reknowned as a very goodly man, tall, of the smallest tribe of Israel, a Benjamite. Among his first instructions was to not act independent of Samuel, as he was used as God's mouthpiece; but he disobeyed - "And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. And Saul said, 'Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings.' And he offered the burnt offering. And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. And Samuel said, 'What hast thou done?' And Saul said, 'Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; Therefore said I, "The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD": I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.' And Samuel said to Saul, 'Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which He commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought Him a man after His own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over His people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.'" (1 Sam. 13:8 - 14)   Furthermore, Saul justified his sinful offering rather than confessing it.   For this reason, Saul was disqualified/rejected by God.   From that time, he spoke foolish oaths, did a partial obedience to instruction, which in another view was rebellion, setting his will above God's.   It was then that God evaluated Saul's heart; "It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following Me, and hath not performed My commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night." (1 Sam. 15:11).   And He found him at odds against Him.   Samuel pointed out to Saul his act of rebellion was equated as rejection of the Lord in his heart, "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, He hath also rejected thee from being king." (1 Sam. 15:23)   Saul went downhill from there.   God replaced His Spirit with an evil one - "But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him." (1 Sam. 16:14)   His replacement was set in front of him, and as a thorn in his ego - "And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul...And the women answered one another as they played, and said, 'Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.' And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, 'They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?'...And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal Saul's daughter loved him. And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy continually." (1 Sam. 18:1, 7 - 8, 28 - 29)   His children protected his replacement, as did Samuel, Ahimelech, and Schish.   Saul continued his rebellion, slaying the priests of the Lord - "And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, 'Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me.' But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD. And the king said to Doeg, 'Turn thou, and fall upon the priests.' And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod." (1 Sam. 22:17 - 18)   After that, Saul is embarassed by his adversary by being spared twice.   Again in rebellion of God's leadership and rejection of His commands, he consults a necromancer; "Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa. And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. Then said Saul unto his servants, 'Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her.' And his servants said to him, 'Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.' And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, 'I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.' And the woman said unto him, 'Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?' And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, 'As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.' Then said the woman, 'Whom shall I bring up unto thee?' And he said, 'Bring me up Samuel.' And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, 'Why hast thou deceived me? For thou art Saul.' And the king said unto her, 'Be not afraid: for what sawest thou?' And the woman said unto Saul, 'I saw gods ascending out of the earth.' And he said unto her, 'What form is he of?' And she said, 'An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle.' And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.  And Samuel said to Saul, 'Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?' And Saul answered, 'I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.' Then said Samuel, 'Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David: Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day. 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.' Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night. And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, 'Behold, thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto me. Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thine handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way.' But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, together with the woman, compelled him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed. And the woman had a fat calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof: And she brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they did eat. Then they rose up, and went away that night." (1 Sam. 28:3 - 25)   This simultaneously demonstrated hypocrisy, and his repayment for this was the announcement of his defeat by the Philistines from the mouth of the spirit of Samuel!   Saul feared to the point of no appetite, and as foretold, his battle with the Philistines went clearly in defeat.   His despair was total: spiritually, God removed from him. Strategically, his battle was hopeless. "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." (1 Sam. 31:4 - 5)   He and his armorbearer were the next two believers to commit suicide.

Zimri was the next to commit suicide, and by fire - "In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in Tirzah, two years. And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him, as he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza steward of his house in Tirzah. And Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him, in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his stead. And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he slew all the house of Baasha: he left him not one that pisseth against a wall, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends. Thus did Zimri destroy all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, For all the sins of Baasha, and the sins of Elah his son, by which they sinned, and by which they made Israel to sin, in provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities. Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 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." (1 Kings 16:8 - 19)   The Bible says he was king a mere week long over Israel from Tirzah.   He killed his king, Elah, while he was drunk, and his first act after taking the throne was to murder the entire house of Baasha, a dynasty of Israel.   As Omri besieged Tirzah, Zimri saw his position as without hope, and he committed suicide by burning the king's house down upon his own head! An unusual choice of method of suicide.

The last to commit suicide was Judas.   He was predestined to betray his Judge.   "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled." (John 17:12) "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.'" (Matt. 26:23 - 24) "And while He yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed Him gave them a sign, saying, 'Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is He: hold Him fast.' And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, 'Hail, master'; and kissed Him." (Matt. 26:47 - 49)   Judas apparently had a strategy that he could force Jesus' hand, perhaps perform a miracle of Roman overthrow.   "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." (Matt. 27:3 - 5) Upon the revelation Jesus performed no miracle relieving Himself of condemnation, Judas went to commit suicide - "Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out." (Acts 1:18)   Well, apparently he was even a failure at THAT!   At least he attempted to commit suicide.   From this text, we can read Jesus' words and take it that Judas was literally born to go to hell!