Did the nation of Israel recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah when he came?
The nation of Israel as a whole failed to recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah at His coming. A few individuals did recognize Him, but the nation never understood who He was. They should have known, but they did not.
Les explains that the nation of Israel as a whole did not recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah when He came. He compares this to Joseph, who was rejected by his brethren and not recognized by them when they first came to Egypt, even though he gave them hints. Les says that when Jesus came, they should have known who He was, but they did not. A few did recognize Him, but the nation as a whole never understood. Les then directs listeners to 1 Corinthians 2:7, where Paul writes to the Gentile congregation at Corinth about the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world. He notes this relates to God's foreknowledge and begins to read verse 8 about those who did not understand.