Verses 18-20
(Introduced in the NKJV as ‘Judah Intercedes for Benjamin’, we find in the following text something deeply special, a manifesto of sorts detailing and highlighting Judah’s growth and maturity, a confession illustrating that he has deeply pondered the severe anguish they have caused their father in what they did to Joseph, that he is moved to great compassion for his father and has allowed the Godly sorrow that leads to repentance to do a work in him. Not only is God making all things work together for the Good of all involved, he is actively using it to deliver unto Joseph the words he most needs and longs to hear, and that, from the very head of those who sinned against him – the very representative at this point in history of the Genetic Line of the Lord Jesus Christ – in a beautifully expressed, sincere, humbly meted out, truthful account and testimony.) “Then Judah came near to him (another subtle nod to Joseph’s Godly Character and Gentle Nature: despite his vast power and dominion he is approachable, again not unlike our Beloved Lord Jesus; when asked, Judah might not even be able to tell you in so many words why he feels comfortable enough to approach this great man who holds the fate of his life and the lives of those he loves in his hands, so freely, but the Fruit of True Righteousness and Godliness is something that the very Chosen People of God have instinctively responded to from deep within their spirits, unbeknownst often to the conscious mind, throughout the ages; Judah would undoubtedly also have recognised subconscious cues to this effect during the time they spent feasting together in Joseph’s house but a night or two earlier) and said: “O my lord, (notice the deep reverential awe emanating from a place of sincere humility and surrender; again a picture of the True Believer before his King Jesus, the Lord of all Lords, is beautifully painted here for us: in no position to defend himself and yet able to draw near upon the Merit of the supreme Righteousness of the Merciful Lord he stands before, and not the merit of anything that he himself can offer, except of course for his entire life as a living sacrifice in an expression of utter gratitude, as we will soon see . . . ) please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s hearing, (again notice the difference between the haughty defensiveness one detected earlier when the brothers were defending themselves upon first accusation to the steward before the cup was found, and this, the humble pleading of a man brought low, with no argument left to bring, he can now but Hope in the Merciful Nature of the one who hears him, should he even award him the opportunity by inclining his ear toward him . . . it is truly interesting to note the inherent core doctrine of The Gospel laid bare in this single brief account: all the Power and all the Merit to Save lies with The One who Saves and is reliant upon His Character, whereas the one at His mercy comes empty-handed, poor, with nothing to offer, but willing to lay down his life – not as penance – but for the privilege of becoming a bondservant to The One who has Saved him) and do not let your anger burn against your servant; (therein humbly admitting that the wrath of The One who is Mighty to Save against the one at His mercy is wholly justified: for we are sinners against The Most High God, saved By Grace Alone) for you are even like Pharaoh. (Once again “translated” into Egyptian pagan terms, for Judah is still not aware of Joseph’s identity, one can so clearly see how Judah’s spirit accurately recognises that Joseph represents the Lord Jesus, for the Egyptians of course believed the Pharaoh to be akin to a god. His unquestionable power and dominion and authority to save or condemn is again also reiterated in this crucial phrase. Also see King Solomon’s meditations on the nature of true Kings in Proverbs 25.) My lord asked his servants, (the humble acknowledgment of self as servant – a privileged position in and of itself! – is of course always a key ingredient to the process of working out our salvation in all humility with fear and trembling) saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ (Here we recognise the typical format utilised that we also see in the Book of Acts where the apostles are brought before a court of law or judge and are led in the moment, by the Holy Spirit, to bring a highly factual, meted account of objective Truth following a very, precise logical and linear route to reach a most reasonable conclusion for all who witness it: for posterity’s sake, for the benefit of the reader of the Scriptures perhaps most especially, but of course also most insistently within those very moments where the one giving the account faces such a great test of Faith, for his very life depends upon it. Another device also worth mentioning here is that of reminding the judge of his own words, again transposed from the example we have even as we see Moses reminding God Himself of His Promises. Despite God’s impenetrable omniscience and omnipotence, we are encouraged to do this throughout the Scriptures, for our own sakes I believe, more so than for His. Finally, I also find it so endearing how Judah is here but recalling objective truth in dialogue quite matter of factly, but little yet of course does he know the personal investment in his family that Joseph possesses and the consequent real reason for enquiring after “a father or a brother” in the first place ☺.) And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; (yet but an objective factual account) his brother is dead, (but from this point onwards until the end of this section we begin to hear the beautiful, sweet-smelling fragrant words of a man purified through fire to admit the most painful truths at the very heart of this matter, the very truths that invited such envy and rage in the immature Judah and co., now become grounds for deep compassion, sincere repentance and are offered up as means to obtain mercy; ultimately also evidence that Judah has come full circle: from being led by his father the devil in his old nature, self-seeking, envious and employing the wisdom of the world, to being led by the Holy Spirit, speaking as a man re-born of that very Spirit, a New Creation, having the Mind of Christ, humble, truthful, filled with deep love, selflessness and the Wisdom of God [Scriptures that have bearing include Romans 8 & 12, James 3 and countless others) and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him (Benjamin’s suspected identity as both his paternal and maternal brother is now also confirmed and proven beyond a shadow of a doubt to Joseph; the phrase: “and his father loves him” must surely also remind Joseph of the deep love his father carried for him as a young boy, possibly at about the same age as Benjamin is now, confirming to memory therein also the anguish his father must have felt at his own disappearance – which Judah just confirmed has been taken by all to presume death; even if the deception surrounding said presumption has not yet been revealed – ; this knowledge then keeps him, Joseph, accountable now for the further anguish caused his father by retaining Benjamin unto himself, knowing that his father loves Benjamin as he remembers him loving his own self all those many years ago).’ “
“18Then Judah came near to him and said: “O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh. 19My Lord asked his servants, saying, ’Have you a father or a brother?’ 20And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’ ”
– Genesis 44:18-20 (NKJV)