Speak out!!!!

The book of Numbers was written by Moses for the people of Israel. Sometimes I wonder how it could possibly apply to my life today. What in the world do I have in common with people from 1446 to 1406 B.C.? Well, apparently a lot!

Chapter 30 is a rather short chapter of 16 verses. The subtitle in my Bible says "Vows." These are not marriage vows but vows defined as "a declaration or assertion."

It appears that if a young woman still living in her father's home made a vow to the Lord or obligated herself by a pledge and if her father hears about her vow but says nothing to her, then the vow must stand. If he hears about her vow and forbids it, then she is released from the vow. The same is true if she is married.

Here is the part that struck me:

¹⁴ But if her husband says nothing to her about it from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or the pledges binding on her. He confirms them by saying nothing to her when he hears about them.

I don't know how many times my Dad told me to just "speak up" when something was wrong. There were times when I would be so passionate about something I had seen or heard and disagreed with and my Dad would say to me, "Well, do something about it!" I remember one time in particular when the NFL teams were on strike and the third and fourth string players were in the game. I got so angry during a Monday night game because the announcers were being so negative and harsh on the players. They were doing the best that they could, but the results were not what the announcers thought they should be. My Dad challenged me to write a letter to ABC and complain, which I did. Several weeks later, I received a letter in return from ABC, of course defending the announcers, but also sensitive to how I was feeling. As a high school student, I felt empowered because I had spoken out against something I thought was wrong and someone actually responded to me. That made a huge impression on me.

Here is a biblical example of this principle. When we are silent, that in essence equals agreement. According to this verse in Numbers, if a husband refused to speak out about his wife's vow, then regardless of whether or not he agreed with her, it was considered consent. The next verse goes on to say that if he does speak out at a later time against her vow then it is too late, he becomes responsible for her guilt.

My girls always laugh at me to this day when I become upset about some injustice I have witnessed! They always ask if I am going to write a letter! However, I hate to admit that most of the time I don't write that letter. I rant and rave about it for a while, but eventually it fades and I do nothing. Hmmm, this is not really what the Bible teaches us is it? Things must be done in the right way and with the right motive; grace, love, and mercy must always prevail. Many times those with strong opinions are viewed as pushy or bossy, a pain in the neck to be around. Does it have to look like that? I don't think so. As Christians, we have the right to defend our faith, to stand up for those in need or oppressed, to speak out on behalf of those who remain silent.

So my question to myself today is this; Do I have a platform to complain if I have not taken the opportunity to speak out? The answer is obvious.