(Genesis) Genesis 44:18-34

But we're told that Judah came near to him, and believe me, Judah pled for his brother, and he's speaking for all of them. He recounts the history, and it's a very tender story, of how he said that they had to come again to the land of Egypt. Now, there are several things here that I think we need to note.

I think that Judah here, in this statement of recounting of what's happened, and the condition of their father, that actually the father had been deceived, and Joseph can see that now, and what actually was told the father of what had happened to him. And you wonder whether this isn't a confession now. I feel that it is, for this is the first time these boys actually said exactly what had happened to the other one.

That is, they said he was not, that he was dead, but they hadn't told anything about him at all. Now, we also see something else, that Jacob is growing in grace, but he hasn't arrived for the very simple reason that instead of trusting the Lord, he's leaning on this boy Benjamin, and actually it would have killed him. I'm sure of that, had he gone down.

There are those today, Christians, that when death comes, that sometimes they can reveal, and do reveal, a wonderful faith in God. And others, that the taking of a loved one absolutely causes them to collapse. And I don't care how much you love a loved one, friends, as a child of God, you ought to know if they are a child of God, you're going to see them someday.

And the one walking by faith is not going to collapse at a time like that. Then you recognize, therefore, that Jacob has not arrived yet, but we're going to see he's growing in grace. Now, listen here to this boy Judah, for he here is making a tremendous statement.

And I'm reading now again, verse 29, "...and if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. Now therefore, when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us, seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life, it shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad's not with us, that he'll die. Thy servant shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.

For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father forever. Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my Lord, and let the lad go up with his brethren. For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me, lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father?" You notice the concern that Judah had here for old Jacob? And Judah is the spokesman for the group.

I think any one of the other brothers would have made this same statement. It's a magnificent statement. And he is the spokesman for the group.

Any one of them would have done this. And Joseph now has made the test. Judah's willing to take his place.

Now friends, there came one later on in the line of Judah, the lion of the tribe of Judah, and he bore the penalty for the guilty. But God commended his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. He took the place of the guilty.

Now Judah is willing to take Benjamin's place.