Judah recounts their journey, their father’s grief, and the deep bond between Jacob and Benjamin. Then, in one of the most powerful moments of the Old Testament, Judah offers himself in place of his brother: “Let me stay as your slave… I cannot bear to see the sorrow on my father’s face.”

It reads in Genesis 44:18–34 Easy:  Then Judah went and he spoke to Joseph. He said, ‘Please, my lord. Let me speak to you. You have all of Pharaoh’s authority, but please do not be angry with me, your servant. You asked us, “Do you have a father or another brother?” And we replied, “We have a father who is very old. He has a young son who was born when our father was already old. That son’s brother is dead. He is the only son of his mother who still lives. His father loves him.”  Then you said, “Bring your youngest brother to me so that I can see him.” And we said, “The boy cannot leave his father. If he leaves him, his father will die.” But you said to us, “Your youngest brother must come with you. If he does not come, I will not let you see me again.”  We returned to our father and we told him what you said.  After some time, our father said, “Go back to Egypt and buy some more food for us.”  But we said, “We cannot go back there. We can only go if our youngest brother goes with us. If he is not with us, we will not be able to see the man again.”  Then my father said to us, “My wife gave birth to two sons.  One of them went away and he never returned. So I said, ‘A wild animal must have eaten him.’ I have not seen him since that happened.  If you take my youngest son away from me too, something bad may happen to him. I am already an old man. If I lose Benjamin, I would be so sad that I would die.” ’ Judah continued and he said, ‘So, my lord, I could not go back to my father without his youngest son. My father stays alive because of this boy. If my father sees that his son is not with us, he will die. Because we did not bring the boy back to him, he will be sad enough to die. I promised my father that I would take care of the boy. I said, “I will bring the boy back. If I do not, then you can say that I am guilty. I will be guilty for all of my life.”  Please sir, let me stay here as your slave, instead of the boy. Let the boy return home with his brothers.  I cannot go back to my father if the boy is not with me. I never want to see how upset my father would be.’

Father God, teach us to speak with boldness when others need defending. Give us hearts like Judah’s, willing to stand in the gap, to offer ourselves for the sake of someone else’s peace. Let love like Jesus and lead us, not in pride. Let mercy soften every hard place. When the moment comes to choose between comfort and compassion, help us choose love, every time. Love You, thank You, praise You and give You all the honor and glory in Jesus Precious Name Amen and Amen.