Who will speak up for the right of an unborn baby? Who will stand up for the child whose parents may be at the verge of divorce? Who will support a single mother who needs a place to live but doesn’t have good credit to rent a place? Who will stand up for the man who has been falsely accused? Who speak out against injustice?
Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31:8-9 (NKJV)
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31:8-9 (NIV)
Speechless (According to Strong’s Dictionary): mute, silent, dumb, unable to speak
There are times in life that God allows us to be speechless. Sometimes we are speechless out of fear of a situation. At other times, we are so appalled by seeing something. If we were to speak about the situation, words of death would come out of our mouths. Sometimes, we are speechless because we have been touched by the majesty of God to such a depth that there are no words to describe it.
There is another type of being speechless which is a state of being. It is the place where someone doesn’t have the power, the position, or the ability to speak for themselves. The above scripture is about King Lemuel ‘s mother instructing her son to handle his kingly duties well.
When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29:2
King Lemuel’s mother is encouraging her son to be a righteous king. If he ruled well then people can feel safe and rejoice in their king. If he ruled with cruelty then people would be oppressed to the point of groaning. Kingship is a powerful position which can bring life or death. How it is stewarded is the key to the health of the environment created.
We are called to be kings and priests to our God (Revelation 5:10). As kings we have the privilege and the responsibility to speak up for those who are voiceless and are appointed to die. They may die physically, emotionally, spiritually, or their reputation may be at stake.
Throughout history the leaders who stood out among all others were those who were willing to fight for injustice and the oppressed and not cave in to the status quo of the system.
Jesus spoke up in His time and stood up for those mistreated. An average Israelite was under oppression from both the Roman government as well as their own religious leaders. Many times Jesus challenged the religious establishment because they should have known better.
Who is oppressed among you? Who is poor and needy? Who needs to be reached out to? Whose need should be taken into account when a decision is made that will impact someone greatly? Who needs compassion and empathy instead of judgment? Who has been pushed aside that needs to be reached out to? Who needs to be defended who has been falsely accused?
Self perseveration will cause to be more concerned about being part of the system, and it will lead people to groan. However, if we are willing to stand for the voiceless we may internally groan for a while, but it pleases God and it blesses the people who are oppressed.
Are you willing to speak up for the speechless/voiceless? Count the cost. You will lose some things or people but God is pleased!
