Pray the word with David Platt as a resource from Radical.net.

Genesis chapter 44, verse 33,

Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my Lord

and let the boy go back with his brothers.

Wow, this is a pretty powerful verse when you stop and think about what Judah

just said to Joseph. So leading up to this, there's a lot in the story. I don't want to spend

all the time recounting what has happened in this chapter. But basically, at this point,

Joseph is saying, leave Benjamin with me and you go back to your father and Judah steps up

and he says, please let your servant remain. In other words, let me remain instead of the boy.

And I'll be your servant, Joseph. And remember, Judah doesn't know this is actually Joseph

his brother that he's talking to right now. But he says, let your servant remain instead of the

boy as a servant to my Lord and let the boy go back with his brothers. That is a radically different

posture toward a younger brother than what Judah and his brothers displayed toward Joseph years

ago. Think about it, Judah and his brothers sold Joseph into slavery. Now, Judah and his brothers

have the opportunity to do the exact same thing with Benjamin. Just leave him here as a slave and

go back and live your lives. But Judah does something very different than what happened in Genesis

chapter 39. Here, Judah offers his own life as a substitute for Benjamin so that Judah would

be the slave instead of Benjamin. Now, think about that picture on a much bigger level. Because one

day a descendant would come from the line of Judah who would offer himself as a substitute sacrifice.

But not for a family number. This descendant from Judah's line would offer himself as a substitute

sacrifice for you to set you and me free from the slavery of sin and death. Jesus from the line

of Judah would say, I will lay down my life in the words of Philippians chapter 2 verses 5 to 11,

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