Speak!

  Like a muddied spring  or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked. Proverbs 25:26 ESV  

 The man who comes to mind as an illustration of this  verse is Lot, Abraham's nephew. He chose to move to the wicked city of Sodom. Despite being  tormented by the wickedness all around him, Lot never spoke out against it.

 Solemnly, Jesus  declared that if Lot had spoken up for righteousness in evil Sodom, the Sodomites would have  repented and the city would have remained at least to Jesus' day. As it was, he kept silent. God  destroyed Sodom with fire, perhaps a meteor shower. 

What was a fertile land is to this day a salty  wilderness. Saint Francis of Assisi famously said "preach the gospel to all creatures. Where  necessary use words". Quite frankly, it's always necessary to use words to preach the good news.  Righteous Lot was impotent in the midst of the wickedness of Sodom. 

I don't want to sound  legalistic. The righteous live by faith in God. Lot was saved by the Lord from the destruction of  wicked Sodom. But his witness to God's grace was virtually none existent, even within his own  family.

 "Righteous Yahweh our God, give us the boldness and conviction we pray to speak out for  what is right. Don't let us capitulate to the wicked we ask, in Christ Jesus' name, amen"