Proverbs 31:8-9

Proverbs 31:8-9 Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. (9) Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.

In the Western social experience it's easy to forget that most of the rest of the population of the world lives at a level that we'll never see unless we visit them. In our fast paced, self-focused life we miss seeing that the world is full of people who have serious need. Sure, those people are brought up in whatever conditions they live in and they may not know that the possibility for more is there. Indeed this is not to say that people cannot be full of joy and satisfaction unless they are rich or have all of their needs met. Obviously a heart filled with the love of Jesus is a full heart, whether the stomach is full or not.

The latter idea however is the aspect that is being addressed in this proverb. The Lord mentions "the speechless", those who have no power or ability to speak for themselves; and the "poor and needy" who are in need of someone to plead their cause. I see a two fold calling in these verses.

The first and most obvious call is to give those that have need knowledge and the path to Christ. If they ask Jesus into their lives and submit themselves to Him, He will care for all of their needs. He says that if we seek first the Kingdom of God (in Himself specifically), that He will provide all those physical things we need (Matt 6:33). There are many programs carried on throughout the world to meet the needs of the hungry and sick and destitute, yet if we don't give them what they really need, a relationship with Jesus, no amount of physical comfort will alleviate the pain of the sinful condition that their heart is in.

The second need follows from the first. If we claim to know Jesus and be His child, we will do what He did, we will reach out and seek to meet the spiritual and physical needs of those that are in want.

James 2:15-18 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, (16) and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? (17) Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (18) But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

Jesus makes it pretty clear, we cannot claim to believe and have faith if we are not willing to try to give people the physical things they need. Obviously we are not always in a place to meet all of a person's physical needs, maybe they are suffering from a disease for which there is no cure. Our work is not done however. We can dish out an abundance of love, compassion, and fellowship. We can comfort others with the comfort that God has given us as we have gone through difficult times.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, (4) who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

If you will notice as you read the Bible, there is an overwhelming call by God to reach out to those who have need. Indeed, even under the covenant of Grace in the New Testament we see James tell the disciples to remember the widows and the orphans (James 1:27), as that is true undefiled religion. That is, to care for and speak up for those that cannot care or speak up for themselves is the heart of God. If we claim to be His, we will be about His business (Luke 2:49) and will find a way and pray for a way to reach out to those around us and around the world who are in need.

Luke 12:48b "... For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."

This is not an option, we are asked by our Father to take what we have been given and use it in the lives of others for His glory. May we seek for opportunities to do that today!