LITTLE FOXES...SPOILED VINEYARDS...SUDDEN DESTRUCTION

 Greetings and Salutations O Ye Vinedressers...how's your Vineyard doing? 

For our Ruminating purposes...we will be speaking of Vineyard...as your life.  We know that Jesus came to give LIFE...and that more ABUNDANTLY...aka ABUNDANT LIFE...and the devil (little d)...the thief (little t) came to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10)  Many times we are going along...living our life...and SUDDENLY things start to fall apart...and we wonder to ourselves..."Self...how could this have happened so SUDDENLY?"  Of course if we would look back over things leading up to this SUDDEN DESTRUCTION or falling apart...we would see that it did not happen SUDDENLY...but GRADUALLY.

 "Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, while our vineyards are in blossom." (Song of Solomon 2:15)

"...it's the little foxes that spoils the vineyard." (Song of Solomons 2:15)

Of course...this is a song of lovers.  Out of the 1005 songs written by Solomon (See I King 4:32) This song is considered to be the best one.  This Song of Solomon..this Song of Songs is Solomon speaking of his love for the Shulammite woman and her responses to her lover.

The vineyard represents their lives while the blossoms represent their flourishing love and the little foxes represents the LITTLE THINGS...not the big things that comes in unnoticed...or ignored...that ruins the relationship...ruins the vineyard...ruins their lives.  Of course...this Song of Songs represents our relationship with our God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit...our spiritual vineyards and lives.   It is not the BIG THINGS that ruin our lives...it is the little foxes...the little things that spoil and destroy our ABUNDANT VINEYARDS.

I have an empathy for believers...who were once strong in the Lord...who once were faithful men and women of God...who were once one flesh in marriage...who were once in the midst of the battle with strong ministries...and then SUDDENLY they fall.  If does not matter if it is some "big time ministry" like Jim Baker or Jimmy Swaggart...or some little church where the pastor runs of with the secretary... or just your average everyday Joe and Jane.  The Word is very specific.."Therefore let him who thinks he STANDS...take heed lest he FALL." (II Corinthians 10:12)  Paul is speaking of spiritual people who were OVERTAKEN BY TEMPTATION...had a SPIRITUAL CONNECTION but were "LAID LOW IN THE WILDERNESS."  (II Corinthians 10:5)

NOTE:  There is great danger in looking down upon the fallen.  Paul covers this when he states..."Brethren...even if a man is CAUGHT in any trespass...you who are SPIRITUAL...RESTORE such a one IN A SPIRIT OF GENTLENESS...looking to yourselves...LEST YOU TOO BE TEMPTED."  We can't be like the Pharisee to the Publican..."The Pharisee (religious person)...stood and was praying thus to himself (should have been praying to God), God, I thank Thee that I am not like OTHER PEOPLE, swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this Publican/Tax Gatherer." (Luke 18:11)  That is definitely NOT a "spirit of gentleness".

The purposes of God can...and will be thwarted little by little until SUDDENLY...BAM...DESTRUCTION COMES UPON US. In the book of Pro-Verbs (Pro=postive Verbs= positive action)...the book of Positive Action...we see an example of when suddenness was not so sudden.

PRO-VERBS 7:6-27

The Proverbist was looking out the window through his lattice and saw among the youthful naive...a young man...who was lacking sense.  He sees this young man PASSING BY the street NEAR her (the adulteress/harlot).  This was little fox #1.  Then he TAKES THE WAY TO HER HOUSE.  This is little fox #2.  In the middle of the night and in the darkness...the woman COMES TO MET HIM.  This is little fox #3. 

HARLOT DESCRIPTION:  (1) dressed like a harlot (2) cunning in heart (3) boisterous (4) rebellious (5) her feet does not remain at home (6) she is in the streets, in the squares, and lurks by every corner.

As the little foxes nibble away...as he passes near the street near her...takes the way to her house...she comes to meet him...LOOK OUT...."So she seizes him and kisses him...aka little fox #4.  She then reasons and justifies her actions and his behavior...letting him know she has paid her vows (religious duty) , she had come out to meet him to seek out his presence earnestly (stroke his ego)...spread her couch with covering of colored lines of Egypt, and sprinkled her bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.

Now that the bait is set...it is time to pull in the hook.  "Come and let us drink our fill of love until morning; let us delight ourselves with caresses...aka little fox #5.  Then she removes the danger factor by letting him know that her man is not at home and is on a journey and will not be back for a while...aka little fox #6. 

With her MANY PERSUASIONS (little foxes) she ENTICES him with here flattering lips and she seduces him.   Temptation is an ENTICEMENT... but not necessarily to pull you INTO something...but to pull you AWAY from who you really are. 

Now here is the kicker..."SUDDENLY he follows her...as an ox goes to the slaughter...or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool, until an arrow pierces through his liver, as a bird hastens to the snare SO...he does not know that IT WILL COST HIM HIS LIFE." (Pro-Verbs 7:22-23)

The act of following her may have been SUDDEN...but what leads up to the SUDDEN DESTRUCTION was not necessarily so SUDDENLY.  It was progressively plotted out...starting with little fox #1.  If he had NIPPED IT IN THE BUD...in the beginning...he would not be trapped in a SPOILED VINEYARD/LIFE.

Well the PRO-VERBIST...the Father's advice to the son is this..."Now therefore my sons...(1) listen to me (2) pay attention to the words of my mouth (3) don't not LET your heart turn aside to her ways

This Pro-Verb ends with a warning of not dealing the "little foxes"...(1) many are the victims she has cast down  (2)  numerous are all her slain (3)  her house is the way to Sheol/grave (4) descending to the chambers of death.

FINAL THOUGHTS...FINALLY

We must crucify the flesh...we must die daily...we must repent of our sins...and not let or allow the little things to bring us to the point of SUDDEN DESTRUCTION.

Love and Foxes Free Kisses
Rodney "Living the Vineyard Life" Boyd