“…there is a time to be silent and a time to speak.” Ecclesiastes 3:7
My mother claimed that I started talking at a very young age – and never stopped. This “gift of gab” has been a blessing and a curse. It has blessed me with the ability to befriend strangers, question the unknown, and pass on information and ideas. It has cursed me with vanity, foolishness and, sometimes, slander. I have to constantly be on guard as to the words I use and the effect they have on others. I have lost friends, distanced family members, created divisions, engendered hurt, and demeaned myself through the misuse of words. This failing is always at the forefront of my prayers as I ask for wisdom to know when to speak, what to say, and when to remain silent. Proverbs 21:23 states clearly that, “He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.”
There are times when we should not be afraid to express our thoughts and there are times when it would engender irreparable damage to do so. The story of Queen Esther and the challenge she faced provides a sound template for knowing when and how to speak out. The book of Esther is one of only two books in the Bible named after women, the book of Ruth being the other. A major Jewish holiday, called Purim, is based upon Esther’s courageous actions to save her people from destruction.
Esther was a Jewish woman whose family had been deported from Jerusalem to Babylon during the time of the Babylonian exile. Her parents had died when she was very young and she had been raised by her kinsman, Mordecai. Xerxes, king of the Persians, chose Esther to be his queen, not knowing that she was a Jew. The king’s anti-Semitic advisor, Haman, wanted to destroy the Jewish community in the empire and tricked the king into going along with his plan. Mordecai heard of the plan and asked Esther to intercede on behalf of her people. This was a very dangerous thing to do as the law forbade anyone to approach the king without being summoned and anyone breaking this law would be put to death. But, Esther sent word to her people and she, along with her maids, fasted for three days and nights. “When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And, if I perish, I perish.” Esther 4:16. As a result of her bravery, Haman was hanged, Mordecai was rewarded and the Jews survived and were protected from those who hated them.
In the past, it was hard for me to speak to others about our newfound beliefs as I usually encountered skepticism and ridicule. So, I either kept silent, thereby seeming to acquiesce to erroneous ideas, or would speak out in irritation and anger, instead of passing on biblical insights in a knowledgeable, forthright and, yet, noninflammatory manner.
How do our words affect others? Is what we are about to say conjecture, slander, or is it biblical? What is the purpose of our speaking out? Are the words only meant for contention or are they necessary to help others understand? I often remember the story of Esther who fearlessly, but gently, spoke out in truth for a very important purpose. Our purpose is to serve Yahweh – in our thoughts, in our words, and by our example.
by: Debbie Reed
