Throw Seemingly "Tolerable" Sin Against the Rock
While helping a friend unpack, my children emerged from the basement of the house with a baby squirrel. So cute and precious, my heart immediately wanted to take it home and hand raise the little guy.
When I was a little girl, my brother rescued a baby squirrel from a tree and he brought it home and we hand raised him.
Fred was the name that we gave him and soon he became a healthy, thriving little fella who would scale our curtains and climb up our legs to sit on our heads.
So obviously, with such fond memories, and who allows their kids to raise a squirrel in their home, I decided to see if my husband was up for the challenge. His immediate response was, "Are you going to feed him the tomatoes from your garden?"
You see, since my tomatoes have started to come in, the squirrels in my yard have been relentless at stealing and eating portions of them, leaving me so angry and frustrated that I wanted to do them great harm.
I made a hot pepper concoction to give them a little jolt the next time they attempted to steal any of my valuable ripening fruit but to no avail.
The most frustrating theft was when I was waiting patiently for my first heirloom Brandywine tomatoes to ripen. I sprayed them and a couple of days later, right when they had changed a nice shade of yellow they were gone.
The long awaited precious fruit was destroyed and devoured by a sneaky little rodent!
So here I was now trying to cater to a potential threat to my garden..... And what would I do, release him in my yard to give him full reign over the produce that I had worked so hard to raise?
Just like this squirrel, King Solomon warns against the little foxes that spoil the vine.
Song of Solomon 2:14 -15
Like squirrels, foxes wreak havoc in vineyards as they will eat the grapes. The ESV study Bible describes "our vineyards" as referring to their relationship. The foxes represent some hinderances that are threatening to spoil their relationship.
Matthew Henry says that "... the little foxes, that creep in insensibly; for, though they are little, they do great mischief, they spoil the vines, ...
He defines the believer as the vine, "weak but useful plants". He goes on to say that the charge to catch the foxes "is a charge to the believer to mortify their own corruptions, their sinful appetites and passions which are as foxes, little foxes, that destroy their graces and comforts... crush good beginnings, and prevent their coming to perfection. Seize the little foxes, the first risings of sin, the little ones of Babylon (Psalm 137:9), those sins that seem little, for they often prove very dangerous. Whatever we find a hinderance to us in that which is good we must put away."
So here I sit, with this cute precious little, potentially destructive squirrel, or in this case sin. What am I to do?
Speaking of Babylon, the psalmist gives a swift clear answer;
Needless to say, the squirrel got away so I did not have to make such a drastic decision with this little babe, however, we have an opportunity each and every day when sin arises in our hearts in the littlest of ways, seemingly harmless ways that no one sees, to dash it against the Rock.
Otherwise, left to grow and thrive in our hearts, sin will ravish our garden. It will not leave developing fruit to grow to maturity but will defile all that is good. It will pick the most productive of vines to pilfer from.
We must, with a watchful eye, peruse the garden of our hearts, ever mindful of and watching for the little foxes that are lurking there: comparison, jealousy, complaining, discontent, slander, gossip and the like.
When we allow little foxes like these to run in the garden of our hearts, we not only experience destruction but loss. Where once Solomon was in relationship with his lover, now the foxes have spoiled the vine and severed the purity of their relationship so sin damages our relationship with others and the Lord.
Is there something in your life that is defiling your relationship with God or others? Throw it against the Rock of Jesus. Throw the fox pup of bitterness in your heart against Jesus so that He can produce, sweet life giving fruit in and through you.
Father, I ask that you convict hearts today of the little foxes of sin that have been left to run swiftly eating up the produce that you are trying to develop in our lives. I pray that Your Word would run swiftly and be multiplied.
Lord, send Your word into our hearts to heal and deliver us from the destructive nature of sin. Our desire is to be in communion with You and Your people and we take action today to rid our hearts of the destructive foxes that we have allowed to run rampant in our hearts that have hindered our relationships with others and ultimately You. Forgive us and give us the grace to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ!
Fred was the name that we gave him and soon he became a healthy, thriving little fella who would scale our curtains and climb up our legs to sit on our heads.
So obviously, with such fond memories, and who allows their kids to raise a squirrel in their home, I decided to see if my husband was up for the challenge. His immediate response was, "Are you going to feed him the tomatoes from your garden?"
You see, since my tomatoes have started to come in, the squirrels in my yard have been relentless at stealing and eating portions of them, leaving me so angry and frustrated that I wanted to do them great harm.
I made a hot pepper concoction to give them a little jolt the next time they attempted to steal any of my valuable ripening fruit but to no avail. The most frustrating theft was when I was waiting patiently for my first heirloom Brandywine tomatoes to ripen. I sprayed them and a couple of days later, right when they had changed a nice shade of yellow they were gone.
The long awaited precious fruit was destroyed and devoured by a sneaky little rodent!
So here I was now trying to cater to a potential threat to my garden..... And what would I do, release him in my yard to give him full reign over the produce that I had worked so hard to raise?
Just like this squirrel, King Solomon warns against the little foxes that spoil the vine.
Song of Solomon 2:14 -15
O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the crannies of the cliff,
let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom."
let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom."
Like squirrels, foxes wreak havoc in vineyards as they will eat the grapes. The ESV study Bible describes "our vineyards" as referring to their relationship. The foxes represent some hinderances that are threatening to spoil their relationship.
Matthew Henry says that "... the little foxes, that creep in insensibly; for, though they are little, they do great mischief, they spoil the vines, ...
He defines the believer as the vine, "weak but useful plants". He goes on to say that the charge to catch the foxes "is a charge to the believer to mortify their own corruptions, their sinful appetites and passions which are as foxes, little foxes, that destroy their graces and comforts... crush good beginnings, and prevent their coming to perfection. Seize the little foxes, the first risings of sin, the little ones of Babylon (Psalm 137:9), those sins that seem little, for they often prove very dangerous. Whatever we find a hinderance to us in that which is good we must put away."
So here I sit, with this cute precious little, potentially destructive squirrel, or in this case sin. What am I to do?
Speaking of Babylon, the psalmist gives a swift clear answer;
Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!
Needless to say, the squirrel got away so I did not have to make such a drastic decision with this little babe, however, we have an opportunity each and every day when sin arises in our hearts in the littlest of ways, seemingly harmless ways that no one sees, to dash it against the Rock.
Otherwise, left to grow and thrive in our hearts, sin will ravish our garden. It will not leave developing fruit to grow to maturity but will defile all that is good. It will pick the most productive of vines to pilfer from.
We must, with a watchful eye, peruse the garden of our hearts, ever mindful of and watching for the little foxes that are lurking there: comparison, jealousy, complaining, discontent, slander, gossip and the like.
When we allow little foxes like these to run in the garden of our hearts, we not only experience destruction but loss. Where once Solomon was in relationship with his lover, now the foxes have spoiled the vine and severed the purity of their relationship so sin damages our relationship with others and the Lord.
Is there something in your life that is defiling your relationship with God or others? Throw it against the Rock of Jesus. Throw the fox pup of bitterness in your heart against Jesus so that He can produce, sweet life giving fruit in and through you.
Father, I ask that you convict hearts today of the little foxes of sin that have been left to run swiftly eating up the produce that you are trying to develop in our lives. I pray that Your Word would run swiftly and be multiplied.
Lord, send Your word into our hearts to heal and deliver us from the destructive nature of sin. Our desire is to be in communion with You and Your people and we take action today to rid our hearts of the destructive foxes that we have allowed to run rampant in our hearts that have hindered our relationships with others and ultimately You. Forgive us and give us the grace to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ!
Help us to be ready to punish every seemingly "tolerable" fox!
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