The Suicide Diaries: Part Trois

Written May 6, 2005

Now, here is where a commentary and the Google are such good pals. Went looking into the lives of the bible characters mentioned in previous entry.

Those who committed suicide:

Abimelech --- son of Gideon who did a bad job as a king (Judges 8:33-9:6). He killed sixty-nine of his seventy brothers and don’t think he spared one. The lucky guy managed to escape. (Judges 9:5). In battle, a woman struck him on the head and he requested his armor bearer to drive a sword through him so that it would not be said that a woman killed him (Judges 9:54). Basically committed suicide to avoid shame.

Samson --- want to skip browsing his file because of Hebrews 11 and I can’t really say it was suicide. It seems more of martyrdom, such as the kamikaze pilots. Okay, they were suicide pilots. Okay, I don’t know which came first in his case, wanting to kill himself or wanting to kill his enemies. In essence, he died for a cause he believed in or to get revenge.

King Saul and his armor bearer --- a well-known guy who did really good at first in his job as Israel’s first king. Then things started going downhill after his unlawful sacrifice (1 Samuel 13:8-14). In a battle with the Philistines, Saul gets depressed over the outcome and over the words of Samuel so he takes his own sword and falls on it (1 Samuel 31:4) As for his armor bearer, I thought at first that this might be some tradition or something and he was required to kill himself. But then, why didn’t Abimelech’s armor bearer kill himself? Or at least the Bible doesn’t record it. Um, found this site that suggested he did it on impulse. *Laughs* And I thought it was tradition or a law.

Zimri --- the arsonist. He set fire to his palace and perished in it. He killed Elah and became king (1 Kings 16:8-10) but reigned only seven days. Of course his life didn’t follow this order. Ack, such messy notes.

Ahithophel --- one bitter guy. He hanged himself after his advice wasn’t taken. (2 Samuel 17:23).

Judas Iscariot --- everyone knows this guys and why he did it. The guy was depressed and guilty and if I were him, yeah, I’d kill myself.

Wow, none of these people are exemplary characters. As for the “good guys” they kept at life even if they despaired of it. God renewed their strength and, in Elijah’s case, food and water. Hmmm…