Aren’t road signs kind of amazing? Incoming Traffic…Stop Ahead…School Zone…Deer Crossing…etc. Road signs give direction, provide information, warn of dangers that may be in your path. They’re even coded by color and shape,  In the second chapter of Song of Solomon, there’a a warning thats a lot like a road sign, and it would be a gold, diamond-shaped caution sign. Take us the foxes, The little foxes, That spoil the vines: For our vines have tender grapes.(Song of Solomon 2:15) 

So why was Solomon giving us this warning? What does he mean? I’ve heard it explained like this, foxes are pests in a vineyard. Adult foxes like to eat the sweet grapes. However, since they don’t eat all the grapes, a big fox will cause you to have less fruit, you will still have some grapes. It’s the little foxes that pose the greatest danger. Little foxes like to chew on the vines. They chew and bite and eventually kill the vines. No vines, means no grapes. Solomon was using grapes, vines, and foxes as a metaphor where the grapes represent the Spiritual fruit that we, as Christians bear. Christians are represented by the grapevines. and the foxes are sin. Solomon, further distinguishes two types of sin. Big foxes represent sin that steals our Spiritual “fruit.” There are so many times actions, choices, decisions will harm our testimony as Christians. This passage is not written by someone being judgy…rather it’s a big, yellow/gold caution sign…it’s saying if you lose half your grapes in your vineyard, you will notice you have fewer grapes. People around you notice too. For example,  Moses didn’t get to enter the Promised Land, the Israelites noticed. Samson lost his hair, his sight, and was thrown in prison. When he was no longer strong, he was thrown in jail. These two men made decisions that  had devastating results. Yet, in the end, Moses and Samson kept serving God despite of a poor choice. They recognized they ignored a caution sign and submitted to God’s will. As a result, both are remembered as devoted men of God.

So what about someone who had an issue with little foxes? The Biblical figures that come to mind are Cain and Absalom. They had so many personal issues. They let anger, greed, envy, Daddy issues, sibling rivalry, and so, on ruin them. When we read about Cain and Absalom, we see these were men who also made poor decisions. They saw the warnings, but instead of submitting to God, they continued to let those little foxes keep on chewing on them. Each little fox weakened the vine more! One poor decision led to another until these choices ate away at their roots. Their proverbial vines were destroyed. They ignored warnings, ignored God. One bad decision led to another and another until these decisions had devastating results: their relationship with God was severed. They didn’t produce any Spiritual fruit, and they never would again because their vines were destroyed.

This verse is a big lesson about little foxes because they bite and gnaw and do not stop until their is no longer a vine. We don’t have to let the little foxes destroy us. Today, I pray that I recognize the little foxes in my life, and I pray you do too.

Cry out to Jesus for help, He’ll run those little foxes out of your vineyard.