Today there are not many who know the Lord in this way. However, there are a few who recognize the indications of the Lord's deeds and realize that what happened to them was of the Lord. In our knowing of the Lord, most of us are exactly like Joseph's brothers. We do not consider Him. Instead, we consider our money, our possessions, and ourselves. Joseph's brothers did not search for the reason that a high ruler would do such things for them. They were fully occupied with their own interests. They had no thought that the man who was dealing with them might be Joseph. It is the same with us. No matter how many good things the Lord has done for us, we still do not understand what the Lord is doing. The Lord does everything with a good intention, but we regard it as a curse. Even if we knew it was a blessing, we still would not receive it.

Joseph's brothers had no discernment. Even after he had seated them according to the sequence of their birth, they still did not realize who he was. They had become preoccupied even before they had left home to travel to Egypt. Joseph's heart was good, but their thought concerning him was evil. They were totally preoccupied by their evil thoughts. We would do the same thing if we had evil thoughts towards someone who, with a good intention, invited us to his home for dinner. Due to our evil thoughts, we might fear that poison had been injected into the food. Although we might not be able to refuse the invitation, we would be afraid to eat the food set before us. Our host's intention is love, but our thought is evil. Joseph's brothers were filled with such thoughts. These thoughts were the colored glasses that kept them from seeing who Joseph was.

In addition to all these indications of Joseph's identity, there are two further indications. Verse 32 says, "And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians." Three tables were prepared, one for Joseph, one for the Egyptians, and one for the brothers. This indicates that the Egyptians did not eat according to the Hebrew way. In what way do you suppose Joseph ate, in the Egyptian way or the Hebrew way? Certainly he must have eaten in the Hebrew way. Joseph's brothers should have recognized that here was an Egyptian eating in the Hebrew way, a way that was abominable to the Egyptians. Joseph ordered the tables to be set up this way in order to indicate to his brothers that he was a Hebrew. The brothers should have considered that this ruler was a Hebrew. How stupid Joseph's brothers were! If I had been there, I would have said, "Levi, this man is a Hebrew. Furthermore, he is younger than we are. Look at his face. Isn't he Joseph?" Although Joseph spoke the Egyptian language, they should have recognized his voice and his intonation. Nevertheless, they still failed to recognize him.

Still another indication is found in verse 26: "And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth." When Joseph's brothers were bowing down to him, they should have remembered his dream. Twenty-two years before Joseph had had a dream, and now it was being fulfilled. If you had been one of Joseph's brothers bowing down to him, you might have said, "This might be Joseph, the master of dreams." Although Joseph's brothers had heard about the dream and were in the fulfillment of the dream, they did not recognize Joseph.

Perhaps you are wondering why Joseph did not simply reveal himself to his brothers at that time. If Joseph had done this, he would have been very childish. He preferred to give them some indications to help them to recognize who he was. How sweet it would have been if they had recognized him! However, due to their preoccupations and stupidity, it did not happen this way.