DYING OF FRIGHT

In a previous post (“Suicide in the Bible”), I discussed several cases in which biblical characters were so frightened or upset that they resorted to taking their own lives. I would like to shift gears now a little bit and consider those rare cases in which people were literally scared to death. It is, in fact, a known phenomenon called stress-induced cardiomyopathy, which can cause failure of the heart muscle when someone has received a profound shock to the system. Another manner in which people have been known to drop dead when scared is due to a rapid elevation of blood pressure which can bring about a stroke. There are three possible examples of this phenomenon happening in the Bible. Each death is associated with a judgment from God and thus should not be wholly ascribed to a physical cause.

Eli (I Samuel 4:12-18)

The elderly and infirm priest Eli is bombarded with a series of blows when a messenger notifies him in turn that the Israelites have been defeated in battle by the Philistines, both his sons have been killed, and the ark of the covenant has been captured. It seems to be not the death of his sons that causes him the greatest shock (after all, he realizes that they are totally worthless as priests and human beings), but the loss of the ark since that means that the glory of God has left Israel. He falls over backward, probably due to a sudden stroke or heart attack, and breaks his neck.

Of course, Eli has done God a grave injustice by literally putting him inside a box although the Philistines will soon treat the ark in the same manner when it seems to cause a pagan statue to fall over and break in its presence and then a plague strikes their people. There is a great ironic reversal pictured here, emphasized in the way the author of I Samuel placed these two incidents in a parallel arrangement (see the literary structure below). Eli falls backward and dies with a broken neck because he is afraid for the ark while the Philistine idol falls forward and loses its head, causing the Philistines to become afraid of the ark.

Eli’s House is Destroyed (I Samuel 4:1b-6:12)

a. Israel brings the ark into battle (4:1b-4)

    b. Philistines fear the ark, Israel is defeated, and the two sons of Eli killed (4:5-11)

        c. News is brought to Eli, who falls back and breaks his neck (4:12-18)

            d. The glory departs from Israel (4:19-22)

        c'. The ark is brought to the house of Dagon, whose statue falls forward and breaks off its head (5:1-5)

    b'. Philistines fear the ark, plague kills many (5:6-11)

a'. Philistines bring ark back to Israel (6:1-12)

I see a sort of parallel here with another OT character, Job. He was also greeted with a series of messages concerning evil tidings: loss of oxen, donkeys, sheep, camels, servants, sons and daughters. But his response is in contrast to that of Eli, and he proclaims the wonderful profession of faith: “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken; blessed by the name of the LORD." The difference appears to lie in the fact that much of Eli's faith was tied up with the trappings surrounding God while Job's faith was in the very person of God.

Nabal (I Samuel 25)

This story transpires during the time period when David and his followers were refugees on the run from Saul and forced to get by on whatever provisions they could earn. They protect Nabal's flocks from marauders and request some food for their labors. Nabal takes them for a rag-tag group of beggars and roundly refuses to give them anything at all. This incenses David, but fortunately, Nabal's wife Abigail calms David down by apologizing on behalf of her boorish husband and giving them something to eat.

Nabal drinks himself into oblivion, as was apparently a common custom for him, and passes out. The next morning, when he is still suffering from a hangover, Abigail informs him that he had just insulted the famous warrior David who almost killed him for his rudeness. At that point, the text says that “his heart died within him and became like a stone.” It is well known that excessive drinking can cause both strokes and heart attacks. Payne says that it is the first cause that killed him while Levenson feels that it could have been either cause. Besides the pre-existing condition of Nabal, when he died ten days later it is specifically said to have been due to an attack from the LORD.

Levenson's judgment on Nabal is as follows: “He has no tragic depth; he is only a despicable fool.”

Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11)

Some Christians appear not to be nearly as concerned about OT stories of God visiting physical justice on those who disobey Him, as they are about this example occurring in the New Testament. If you recall the story, this Christian couple in the early church makes a big deal about the fact that they have sold some property and donated all of the proceeds to the group treasury. The problem is that they did not donate all of it as they stated, just a part. They kept the rest for themselves.

Peter, under the obvious guidance of the Holy Spirit, confronts Ananias not with the fact that he only donated part of the proceeds, but for his lying to the Spirit as if He couldn't find out about it. When Ananias realizes that his deep, dark secret has been exposed by God, he falls down dead and is carried out to be buried. Next, his wife comes in and Peter first gives her the opportunity to tell the truth, but she just repeats the lie. Then with his great sense of tact and best bedside manner, Peter informs her: “Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” It is no wonder that she also falls over and dies.

Are the deaths of these two caused by understandable shocks to the system which gave them either heart attacks or strokes; did God simply murder them both on the spot for their sin; or did God use a pre-existing medical condition in both to carry out earthly justice and send a strong message to other followers? In any case, those outside the group of early followers become too frightened to join the disciples although everyone held them in high esteem.