The Lord once again announces his judgment on this people,
an expression that highlights the alienation between him and Judah. He will personally lay a stumbling block against them. Stumbling blocks
or obstacles, are circumstances that the Lord puts before his people to test their faithfulness to him. These stumbling blocks do not cause the people to sin, but those who lack the spiritual insight that comes from covenant faithfulness will not respond properly to these circumstances and they will indeed stumble and fall.1 In this particular case the stumbling block is the invading nation and Judah’s response is a forgone conclusion; they shall stumble.
Fathers and sons together,
neighbour and friend shall perish.
The whole nation will experience this judgment without exception.
21 Therefore thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will lay before this people stumbling blocks against which they shall stumble; fathers and sons together, neighbor and friend shall perish.’”