Commentaries:
What are the "little foxes" in our lives? They are the seemingly little things that can do the greatest damage: a little "white" lie or perhaps just a little less than the whole truth, a little gossip, a little exceeding of the speed limit, a little stealing by downloading songs or software that we did not buy, a little grudge or lack of forgiveness, a little idolatry, a little neglect of God, a little Sabbath-breaking, or a little salty language. We could add ignoring people in need, watching inappropriate movies, and stealing time from our employers by getting in late, leaving early, or wasting time during the day. The list goes on and on, and before we know it, our entire future as fruit-bearing vines is at stake.
These little things seem so harmless on the surface, but as we yield to them, the "little foxes" subtly nibble at our vine, as the analogy in John 15:1-8 illustrates. Before long, our connection to the Root, Jesus Christ—the Source of our spiritual nourishment—weakens. The result is a gradual separation from God until our vine is withered. Soon, we no longer produce fruit, becoming dead wood to be gathered and put on the fire.
Examples and warnings against "little foxes" are found throughout the Bible. We see God's reaction to such seemingly minor things in the story of Uzzah (see II Samuel 6:1-7), who did a "little" thing by reaching out his hand to keep the Ark of the Covenant from falling off the cart when God's Word clearly instructs that the Ark must never be touched but always carried by the sons of Kohath using poles (Numbers 4:15). There is also the story of Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, who were guilty of a "little" infraction of the laws regarding the incense offering (see Leviticus 10:1-3). To them, fire was fire, but to God, there was a great difference between using the fire He provided—and commanded to be used—and common fire.
The Israelite King Saul made a "little" change to God's commandment to destroy the Amalekites completely (see I Samuel 15:1-9), sparing the life of the Amalekite king, Agag, and the best of the livestock. Joshua 7 tells the story of Achan's disobedience in taking a "little" of the accursed treasure after the battle of Jericho, and Genesis 19:26 informs us that Lot's wife took a "little" look back at the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. In the New Testament, the example of Ananias and Sapphira, who told a "little" lie, is narrated in Acts 5:1-11.
In all of these examples, God's reaction to these "little" breakings of the rules is quick and severe. In most of these cases, the one who disobeyed died! That should make us stop and think about our "little" sins.
As humans, we have a proclivity to worry about the things we should not worry about. But worse yet, we have a proclivity not to worry about the things we should worry about.
Likewise, many modern-day Christians feel that God does not care about little things, taking a human perspective of God to justify this philosophy. We can easily see the fruit of this warped perspective. They do what is right in their own minds (see Judges 21:25), thinking that as long as they are not out there committing the "big sins"—one of the "big Ten"—they are just fine. Yet, we see that they consider the Sabbath, one of the Ten Commandments, a little thing. This shows us that once they begin to compromise on the things they think are insignificant, they soon move on to disregard bigger matters, too.
However, to be true followers of Christ, we must be united to Him—our Vine and Root—by faith. As Christ tells us Himself in John 15, through our connection with Him we derive our spiritual strength and produce fruit. Following Him and being united with Him means that we must do what He instructs us to do, no matter how "little" it may seem.
The "little foxes" of Song of Songs 2:15 threaten our faith and connection with Christ. These little foxes are not little to God—and they cannot be little to us. Throughout the Bible, we receive stern warnings of the danger of "little foxes" through God's fierce reactions to seemingly inconsequential things. Where are the "little foxes" in our vineyards? We must take action to seek them out and remove them from our daily lives.
As Paul tells us in Romans 11:16, "If the root is holy, so are the branches." God has called us to be holy, and when it comes to holiness, God does "sweat the small stuff"—and so must we!
Bill Onisick
Should We 'Sweat the Small Stuff'? (Part Two)
Foxes, relatively small animals, seem harmless at first glance. Unlike wolves or coyotes, they do not travel in packs but are loners, lurking and sneaking around. The author is speaking of when, in search of food, foxes sometimes enter vineyards to eat the grapes. However, foxes are often too small to reach the grapes, so they would chew on the vines to get to the grapes. By chewing on the vine, the fox could eat the grapes when the vine slumped to the ground.
Instead of the farmer just losing his crop from that vine for one year, he would lose his entire vine. A vine that produces fruit does not grow overnight but takes years of diligent preparation and care. A fox, though, can take all that away in minutes.
This passage in Song of Songs is typically associated with false teachers, and rightly so (see Ezekiel 13:3-4). However, there can be another application. Notice John 15:1-2, 5-6:
I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. . . . I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
If we are to be true followers of Christ, we must be united to Him—the vine or the root branch—by faith. Through our connection with Him, we derive our spiritual strength and produce fruit. Just as a branch pulls all strength and nourishment from its parent stalk, we also receive all our strength from the Vine. Our spiritual survival rests with our Root Branch, Jesus Christ. He tells us in verse 5 that we can do nothing without Him. In verse 6, He warns us that if we do not abide—live in or continue—in Him and bear fruit, we will be cast out, withered, and burned in the fire. However, if we abide in Him, and His words abide in us, God will hear and answer our prayers. If our faith and complete confidence is in Him, and we listen to and obey His words, our heavenly Father will be quick to respond to us.
In the analogy, the little foxes of Song of Songs 2:15 threaten our faith and connection with Christ. Therefore, these little things are not little to God, nor should they be little to us.
The importance of the little things is seen throughout the Bible. From as early as Genesis 3, we see a seemingly insignificant act of eating fruit from a tree result in grave consequences. Though God had just warned Adam and Eve of the penalty of eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Eve allowed "a little fox"—in this case, the serpent, Satan the Devil—to persuade her to eat of the fruit, leading to self-centeredness and death! It was sold as a little thing—just a piece of fruit—but this sin separated mankind from God.
To fruit-bearing Christians attached to our Root, Jesus Christ, this principle holds true for every small transgression. They may appear little to us, which is how Satan convinces us that they are no big deal. But these little foxes run throughout our vineyards, and we must take action to eradicate them.
Bill Onisick
Should We 'Sweat the Small Stuff'? (Part One)
Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Song of Solomon 2:15:
Song of Solomon 1:1
Song of Solomon 2:15
Song of Solomon 2:15
