sokin's devotional 78 - speak up!

"I said, "I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle so long as the wicked are in my presence." I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse. My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue;""

Psalm 39:1-3

"Then Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, "Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?""

2 Chronicles 13:4,5

"Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedman (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. BUt they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking."

Acts 6:9,10

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The virtue of holding your tongue and being slow to speak is a good lesson everyone should learn and apply. But also, being bold to say what is true and what is worth saying is also noteworthy.

I fall in the category of usually being slow to speak, rather than speaking up. But the bible paints a picture to me where we are not implored to only be patient with our words, but we must also not fail to speak up when it is necessary. All the while, we must speak carefully so as not to sin.

It also matters on the content of what we are speaking. The words of prophets, kings, and servants that revered the Lord never sugarcoated anything in regards to who God was and is. 

King David in Psalm 39 could not contain the words that his heart burned to say in the presence of his enemies. All the while, he knew that he did not want to sin with his tongue (words).

King Abjiah, coming against King Jeroboam of Israel and vastly outnumbered, boldly proclaimed that God was on Judah's side and although Jeroboam and his armies were ready to overwhelm them and even readied a tactical ambush (v. 13, 14), Abjiah didn't mince his words and knew that victory would be theirs because God was on their side.

Deacon Stephen boldly proclaimed a gospel message specifically tailored to show the hypocrisy and the historical blindness the spiritual leaders had. He was ready to die for his words.

As James says, be  to hear, slow to speak, and anger. Yes, and amen. But also, do not be ashamed of the Gospel, do not be fearful to speak up even when it is uncertain of what the response might be.

At the end of the day, the thread that holds these truths together is the Gospel. For the sake of the Gospel, we must be slow to speak. For the sake of the Gospel, we must also be willing to preach it boldly, even in uncertain circumstances. In either case, may the Gospel shine forth from all our actions, whether in word or deed!

Amen.