{"id":83941,"date":"2025-02-01T16:17:36","date_gmt":"2025-02-01T22:17:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=83941"},"modified":"2025-02-10T15:49:40","modified_gmt":"2025-02-10T21:49:40","slug":"did-samson-commit-suicide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-samson-commit-suicide\/","title":{"rendered":"Did Samson commit suicide?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

Question:<\/h2>\n

The following is taken from a long letter that mostly complains that a response to a question about suicide was not kind enough. The issues raised were already addressed in “I believe your article on suicide is unfair<\/a>.” The author of this complaint did read the answer, but it wasn’t good enough for him. I’m not out to please everyone, and the complaints were merely personal opinions. However, he did raise one point that should be addressed:<\/p>\n\t

What you overlooked is that neither Job nor Elijah attempted to kill themselves. Yes, they asked God to remove them from this sorrowful world, but that is as far as it went. They respected life and knew that it is God who should decide when life ends. Job and Elijah are respected because they held on and overcame their trials. You do your position a disservice by conflating the expression of a desire to die with wanting to take your own life and the attempt to do so. The result is a false belief that suicide is acceptable and an indirect encouragement to people to consider sin.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The story of Samson completely negates your entire argument here. You do your position a disservice by forgetting that Samson prayed for God to return his strength to him for the express purpose of committing suicide, and God answered his prayer.<\/p>\n\t

Answer:<\/h2>\n

“Then Samson called to the LORD and said, “O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.” Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left. And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he bent with all his might so that the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed in his life<\/em>” (Judges 16:28-30).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Samson asked God for his strength back one more time for the expressed purpose of punishing the Philistines for blinding him. God granted his request. As he was about to bring down the building, he asked God if he might die with the Philistines. Please take note of this: Samson asked God to let him die. Samson understood that the decision was the Lord’s. Samson didn’t want to continue living, but he left the choice in God’s hands.<\/p>\n

This is not like Saul, who fell on his sword so that the Philistines would not torture him (I Samuel 31:4), or Judas, who hung himself in his sorrow of betraying Jesus (Matthew 27:3-5). Samson’s action led to his death, but the purpose of his action was not to take his own life.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: The following is taken from a long letter that mostly complains that a response to a question about suicide was not kind enough. The issues raised were already addressed in “I believe your article on suicide is unfair.” The author of this complaint did read the answer, but it wasn’t good enough for him.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[127,989,39],"class_list":["post-83941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-about-this-site","tag-samson","tag-suicide"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":93335,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/suicide-is-a-very-complicated-issue\/","url_meta":{"origin":83941,"position":0},"title":"Suicide Is a Very Complicated Issue","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 20, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Kevin Rutherford Suicide is a very complicated issue. It is one that we cannot be flippant about and careless with. This discussion should always be accompanied by caution, compassion, and care. If anyone reading this article has come to such a condition that you have had thoughts of suicide,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":83134,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-believe-your-article-on-suicide-is-unfair\/","url_meta":{"origin":83941,"position":1},"title":"I believe your article on suicide is unfair","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 10, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good afternoon. I read an article on your website under the title, \"I find your article on why suicide is a sin to be completely unsympathetic and untrue.\"\u00a0It was published in 2018 by Alan Feaster. I am not going to debate your position that suicide is a sin. I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37758,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-physician-assisted-suicide-a-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":83941,"position":2},"title":"Is physician-assisted suicide a sin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 9, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is physician-assisted suicide, otherwise known as medical aid in dying or death with dignity, a sin? What if the person is severely suffering from a terminal illness? If I was suffering I would want to eliminate my suffering. Answer: Throughout mankind's history, God has demanded that life be respected.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1583,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-is-suicide-a-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":83941,"position":3},"title":"Why is suicide a sin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 17, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Why is suicide a sin? Answer: At first, it seems to be a strange question because the answer is so obvious. But the young man who asked this is struggling with how to explain it to someone he knows. The difficulty is that you can't turn in your Bibles\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7280,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-is-suicide-a-sin-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":83941,"position":4},"title":"Why is Suicide a Sin? (Sermon)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 10, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Job 3:1-11 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A young man asked me, \u201cWhy is suicide a sin?\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0At first it seems a strange question because the answer is so obvious. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But the young man was struggling with how to explain this to someone he knows. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0You can\u2019t turn in your\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20544,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-a-sin-to-want-to-die\/","url_meta":{"origin":83941,"position":5},"title":"Is it a sin to want to die?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 19, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is it a sin to want to die? Answer: There have been people in the past who because of depression expressed their desire to not continue life. Job rue the day he was born, \"Why did I not die at birth? Why did I not perish when I came\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83941"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83941\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}