The testimony of Jacob recorded in our text today prompts the question: Is a life threatening hardship any less of a tool in the hands of the Lord than glorious angelic visitation via dream? While we would surely prefer the 2^nd means, it is undoubtedly the case that God has worked just as sovereignly through trial in the life of Jacob as He has through triumph. The seven year famine has struck the promised land as hard as the rest of the world and the first shipment of emergency rations is now depleted. Facing starvation once again, a return trip to the only source of food would prove still more difficult this time given the conditions laid down by the “lord of the land” on their last visit. Joseph's brothers are not to return without their father's youngest and favored son Benjamin. To make matters worse, the money they had initially paid for their first load of provisions has been mysteriously placed back in their luggage. What is going on? Jacob and his sons fear the answer to this question. They fear traveling back to Egypt despite leaving Simeon behind as pledge for their return according to the vizier's demands. Yet through all of this, God's purposes of spiritual heart surgery continue apace. The hearts of Joseph's brothers grow softer and Jacob is forced to come to terms with his shortsighted fears. He would soon learn that the covenant promises of God are reliable and powerful. The Spirit is moving Joseph's brothers unto humility, confession of sin, repentance and self sacrifice, even as He is moving Jacob to trust the Lord to provide for the covenant family and to protect his beloved.