Today's Scripture Reading (July 11, 2026): Jeremiah 14
A recent
news story revealed that people are moving away from the traditional white
picket fence toward taller, more solid privacy fences. The idea is that we want
more privacy in our yards than maybe we once did. It has been suggested that
this need for privacy stems from our having lost the ability just to chat. I
have lived in my house for over twenty years, and two of the three fences in my
backyard have been replaced. The one that hasn't changed was already a six-foot
wood privacy fence, which has been painted and maintained a few times over the
years. Contemporary privacy fences are made from substances that don't require
that same level of maintenance.
Which leaves
me with the other two fences. Directly behind my house, a privacy fence was
replaced with a chain link fence with privacy inserts installed. The current
fence is a little shorter, but still built with privacy in mind. My neighbor
also once had pillar poplars lining the fence. Those trees have been removed.
We could communicate over the back fence, but rarely do.
The big
change is with my last neighbor. When I first bought the house, there was no
fence on that side of the property. My backyard and my neighbor's yard were
connected, creating one larger grassy space. But my neighbor sold his house,
and it was purchased by a wonderful lady who wanted to have a couple of dogs.
So, a chain-link fence without the privacy inserts was built to keep the dogs,
Cooper and Bear, on their side of the property. Admittedly, whenever the dogs
got loose, they loved to come and inspect the space on the other side of the
fence, often coming up to visit me on my deck. (They were great dogs, and I
never had a problem with either one of them.) That is the fence story in my
yard. And while we have had good communication with all of our neighbors, maybe
neighbor communication is becoming less important.
Jeremiah is
telling a story. The wealthy in society would regularly send their servants out
to fetch water. The servants arrive at the cistern, but there is no water. They
return with empty jars, and in dismay, they cover their heads. It is that last
phrase that sends a message we often miss. Water is essential for life, and it
is often one of the easiest things to find. But the drought meant there was no
water. The dismay that these families felt is probably natural. But that wasn't
the extent of what these servants and their bosses felt. By covering their
heads, they admitted they were confounded and ashamed. And it is that last
emotion that amazes us the most. Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) responds this way
to the noble's response to a lack of water.
On the back of that confusion came despair; 'they covered
their heads.' The Orientals cover their heads when in the deepest grief, as
David did, when he went over the brook Kedron. It means, 'I cannot face it. Do
not look on me in my sorrow, nor expect me to look on you. I cover my head, for
it is all over with me' (Charles Spurgeon).
In my shame, I need privacy. I won't build a fence, but I
have no desire to talk to you. Instead, I will cover my head. Please ignore me
and move on until my shame is relieved by the presence of water. Until that
moment reveals itself, there really is nothing to say.
Tomorrow's
Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 15
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