Beware of the Little Things

Beware of the Little Things (Song of Solomon 2:15)

Song of Solomon 2:15, “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.”

Song of Solomon describes the love between a man and his wife. In many ways, it also pictures the love between Christ and the church.

In a vineyard, the big foxes destroy the fruit of the vines but the little foxes destroy the vines themselves. In the Christian life, the testimony connected with the Christian’s fruit is destroyed by His big, open sins (the sins of boasting, bragging, drunkenness, adultery, lying, etc.) but the divine life which produces his fruit is usually destroyed, not by the big, open sins but by the little, hidden sins (the sins of neglect of prayer, neglect of Bible reading, neglect of meditation, wrong fellowship, unfaithfulness in church attendance, carelessness in speech, bad habits, etc.)

The vines represent the vineyard of growing love between the two lovers. Tender grapes have resulted from their love, but there is a great danger to the continuing of this love. It is the danger of the little foxes. These foxes can spoil the vines on which is located the tender grapes. Therefore, our verse is a call to remove these “little foxes” so that the vineyard of love will continue to prosper. What are the little foxes? They are the seemingly little aggravations which can ruin love. They are little words and acts of conduct which can hurt the growth of love between a husband and a wife. These things seem like “little” foxes, but they can ruin the vineyard of love.

1.It’s the Small Things.
Foxes are not large creatures. They are small and sly, skillful, and swift. They usually come out at night when you can't see them, and they are especially gifted at hiding. Often, you only recognize their presence after the damage has already been done. What at first seems small can blow up into something big over time if it is not dealt with. Little foxes love to ruin a vineyard with bitterness, criticism, jealousy, and neglect. Furthermore, ignoring them and thinking they will just go away and resolve themselves will only encourage the foxes to mate and multiply. Recognize from the very start that the health and success of your marriage is bound up in the little things of life. The Scriptures warns us to be careful of the little foxes, the small foxes that want to enter into our vineyard and corrupt it. The little foxes represent those things in our lives that seem to be small, insignificant, unimportant, those things that have just gotten a start in our lives. We must be careful letting new things get a grip in our life. little foxes are very dangerous things, things that often go unnoticed, things that enter in unannounced, things that are unrestrained.

2.It’s the Sensitive Things.
A marriage needs time to grow and bear fruit. It also needs protection because it is a tender and sensitive relationship, perhaps the most tender and sensitive of all. The fact is, we all come into marriage with baggage. Open the trunk of your life and you will see both the baggage of your past and the baggage of your personality. The odds are overwhelming that you are unaware of all the things in these two bags. Furthermore, it is almost certain that your mate has the same two bags, but that the contents of those bags are altogether different from yours! Yes, it is often true that opposites attract, but it can also be true that opposites attack if we are not prepared in advance to deal with the baggage.

1) Mouth: Solomon says that little foxes can ruin the vineyards of our marriage. Some of the little foxes that can bring great harm to a marriage are the little cutting words of a husband and wife. It does not take a long, critical dissertation to disturb the vines of love. Love thrives on compliments, not on cutting remarks. Many failed marriages started simply with little unkind words.

2) Manners. Little foxes can be poor manners. As an example, a husband does not have to abuse his wife to hinder the growth of their love. All he has to do is be inconsiderate and disrespectful. Failure to open a door or do some other menial, but needed, task of courtesy can be a little fox which nips at the vines of love and causes it to die.

3) Moods. Little foxes can also be poor moods. Failure to be pleasant and cheerful around your lover can be a cloud that stops the sunshine of love. It can be that little fox which nips at the vines and ruins them. If there is one place lovers need to keep pleasant and cheerful, it is the place where they are with their lovers.

If we would be honest with ourselves, none of us plan on forsaking God, none of us have considered a specific time to fall by the wayside. The road to corruption never starts with something big, obvious; it always starts with giving heed to the insignificant, the unimportant, and the small. We drop our guard, we think that we have arrived, we feel secure in our own strength, but remember, it is not the lion or the bear that spoils the vines, it is the little, insignificant foxes that bring destruction. Little things can hurt devotion as well as big things. Take care that you do not let little things ruin your devotion to the Lord.

Points to Ponder:
He knows the little foxes. He knows your thoughts, your secret sins and words that have grieved Him. Little things can hurt devotion as well as big things. Take care that you do not let little things ruin your devotion to the Lord, your spouse, your family etc.

Questions to Consider:
Have you dropped your radar? Have you let the little things find entrance into your life0? How many are running free in your life? It may have pricked your heart at first, but you explained it away, you excused it away, you failed to expose it for what it really was. Are you able to admit this? Can you call them out and expel them?

PRAYER: Father, often I focus on the few major things rather than focusing on the many little things that are spoiling my relationship with You and my family. Help me to pursue You and daily chase away these little spoilers. In Jesus name, Amen.

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