Proverbs 31:9

If you are in a situation where you can defend someone, you better do it. Get your mouth open and say something. Defend righteousness and truth against liars and oppressors. Argue and fight for those who are being attacked or are in trouble and cannot defend themselves. Stand up and use your mouth to silence the wicked. Do not let sin stand!

King Lemuel’s mother taught him how to be a noble and great king (Pr 31:1-9). As an autocratic ruler, a king had power to allow or disallow judgment against any person. Though there might not be any financial reward for pleading the cause of poor and needy parties, a virtuous king would love and practice righteousness and truth anyway.

What hinders men from being great and noble? They are afraid to speak up, in case it might cost them something. They do not want to get involved, because they value peace and quiet more than harm to an innocent person. They do not want to go against popular or politically correct opinion. They are intimidated by others holding a strong opinion.

Open your mouth! You cannot do any good being silent and allowing evil to occur. It is your duty before God and men to rebuke and warn sinners (Lev 19:17; Ezek 3:18; I Thess 5:14). Speak up! Say something! If you allow wickedness to take place, you are an accomplice. In the present day, take your keyboard and type for righteousness and truth.

Judge righteously! Do not measure any issue by feelings, habit, opinion, authority, or tradition. Righteousness is what God judges to be right, and that is plainly revealed in the Bible. Take your stand on what the scriptures teach and nowhere else. All actions must be tried by the word of God, and anything contrary must be rejected (Ps 119:128; Is 8:20).

Plead the cause! You must form arguments and defend virtue and godliness against attack. Show sinners their errors! Fools their folly! The malicious their malice! Get intense! If you can help a poor victim, then fight against those seeking to do harm.

Pilate or Herod could have intervened to save Jesus Christ. But they had neither the courage nor the virtue to do so. They allowed an angry mob of Jews to rule the day and kill the Lord of glory. And they have gone down in history as cowardly compromisers.

To be ready to defend the poor and needy, you need the certain words of truth fitted in your mouth in order to plead effectively against error (Pr 22:17-21). Exalt God in your heart and be ready to give reasonable explanations for the truth (I Pet 3:15; Jude 1:3).