Judah, the Fourth Brother
Remember, this is the central question of Genesis 37-50:
Which brother will lead the family after Jacob is gone?
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah
Reuben, as we saw yesterday, is not a leader. (Plus, he slept with his father’s wife/concubine, i.e., the mother of 2 of his half-brothers!. See Genesis 35:21-22.)
The 2nd and 3rd brothers are Simeon and Levi. They seem to be hot-headed and bloodthirsty, as they are the ones who led the massacre of the city of Shechem, after Shechem raped their sister Dinah. (See the sad story told in Genesis 34.)
(By the way, I have no proof of this, but I wonder if Simeon is one of the instigators of the plan to murder Joseph and cover it up with animal’s blood [See Genesis 37.] This would explain why Joseph chooses Simeon as the one to stay behind in Egypt: “And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.” [Genesis 42:24].)
So, that leaves Judah. Could he be the one to lead the family after Jacob?
The last we heard much about Judah was in Genesis 38, when he is morally humbled after he (unknowingly) impregnates his daughter-in-law. (I KNOW!)
But here, he makes a beautiful speech to their father Jacob and offers to take full responsibility for Benjamin’s safety so they can return to Egypt and get food so that the family can survive.
His speech works, and Jacob gives his leave for Benjamin to go with the brothers on their return journey to Egypt.
Could Judah be the one?