1 Samuel 31:1-5 ( NKJV ) read as follows:
"Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons. The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers. Then Saul said to his armorbearer, 'Draw you sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me.' But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it. And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword, and died with him" ( emphasis mine, R.E.W. ).
What we read about in 1 Samuel 31:1-5 is a wartime event, whereby Saul and his armorbearer committed suicide. The word "suicide" does not appear in the sacred text of the Holy Bible, however, the act of committing suicide is described in the above-given passage in the Holy Bible, for example.
The word "suicide" is defined as follows:
"n. 1 The intentional taking of one's own life." [ See NEW ILLUSTRATED WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY Including THESAURUS of SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS, PMC Publishing Company, Inc., 118 EAST 28th STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10016, dictionary portion: pages 1-1150, Copyright 1992, by J.G. Ferguson Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, p. 964. ]
The sixth commandment, Exodus 20:13 ( NKJV ), reads as follows:
"You shall not murder."
Also, the apostle Paul ( see Romans 1:1 ) recorded the following in Romans 13:9 ( NKJV ):
"For the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'You shall not covet,' and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself'" ( emphasis mine, R.E.W. ).
Thus, though the Old Testament became obsolete when Jesus died on the cross of Calvary, we can still learn from it ( see Luke 23:26-49 ( especially verse 33, for example ), Romans 15:4, Colossians 2:11-15 ( especially verse 14, for example ), Hebrews 8:1-13 ( especially verse 13, for example ), and Hebrews 9:16-22 ( especially verse 17, for example ), for example ). The apostle Paul ( in the specific context of murder, which would include suicide ( or self-murder )) reaffirmed the teaching of the sixth commandment in the New Testament. In general, suicide is condemned under the Old Testament, with the exception being during wartime events ( as is indicated in 1 Samuel 31:1-5, for example ).
However, under the New Testament, suicide is condemned ( without exception ). Judas Iscariot committed suicide ( see Matthew 26:1-16 ( especially verse 14, for example ) and Matthew 27:1-5 ( especially verse 5, for example ), for example ), but this event clearly appears in a negative context. Therefore, under the New Testament ( which is the testament that is currently in force ), suicide is always a sin.
Dear reader, if you are reading this weblog posting and are having suicidal thoughts - stop having those thoughts and DO NOT TAKE ACTION ON THOSE THOUGHTS! Life is worth living. Furthermore, if a person commits suicide, that person has no hope of going to heaven ( see Matthew 11:15, Mark 16:15, 16, Luke 13:3, Acts 2:38, Acts 8:4-25 ( especially verse 22, for example ), Acts 8:26-40 ( especially verse 37, for example ), and Revelation 2:10, for example ).
If you have any questions about the Holy Bible, you can contact me by e-mail at:
<rewillis1_1@juno.com>
<Russell E.Willis>
