How many times that we were supposed to do something but we didn’t. How many times we knew we were supposed to do something, but wouldn’t. How many times we thought that we were more important than we are. How many times have we skirted around the truth. In other words, how many times have we dressed up a lie. These little sins (although, there is no such thing as a little sin) of omission are “little foxes”.
The Song of Solomon is a story about a love conversation or dialogue between two people, a maiden and her lover. The maiden is the Shulamite woman and her lover is King Solomon. This book describes their feelings for each other and they're longing to be together. Through the story, they are talking about sex and marriage, but in its proper form and through God’s perspective. This section in the Song of Solomon, is a wedding song honoring marriage. In the middle of Chapter 2, the content changes. Chapter 2, verse 15, says, “The little foxes are running the vineyards. Catch them, for the grapes are all in blossom.” Just when the girl and Solomon were enjoying each other’s company, the brothers told her that the foxes had gotten into the vineyard and she must leave and tend to the problem. “ The little foxes”, are examples of the kinds of problems that can disturb or destroy a relationship or love for one another.
Foxes are largely misunderstood to be shy, retreating animals. It is the fox’s statue as a small carnivore that defines its survival strategy. Because it cannot succeed using brute force alone, the fox must rely on its sharp mind and engaging personality to garner resources. When you call someone a fox, that means someone is always tricking others. Biblically, foxes are portrayed as evilness, corruption, cheating, cunning, and deception. Thus, the phrase, “cunning as a fox”.
Our life is like that vineyard. God is the groundskeeper, our caretaker, and our caregiver of our life. He did that through Jesus Christ. Satan, who is the enemy, sends his “little foxes” into our lives to steal from us, to kill us, and to destroy us. He is there to ruin us and drive us away from Jesus. The giants are easy for us to see, when they come against us. It’s the little sneaky things that creeps in that snatches our joy. The little things are harder to find and see. They crawl, creep, and slide their way into our lives. They represent everything that is against God. They are really the sins of the flesh and they creep in almost unnoticed to spoil the fruits of the spirit. Those “little foxes' ' will bring jealousy, pride, and impurity and they hinder the fruit of the Spirit. Those “little foxes'' will cause our tongues to be unruly, and will cause our lips to lie. Those “little foxes'' will have you acting in a way that is not approving to God. Those “little foxes'' will make you have an unclean heart and a wrong spirit, like when you become unkind, thoughtless, harsh or mistreat others.
Those “little foxes” are sins. They will rob our lives of the fruit of the spirit. Those things that the Holy Spirit is wanting to produce in our lives and through us.
What do we do with these “little foxes”? We must round them up, like cattlemen round up their cattles, and then we put them to death. If not, they will grow into big foxes. How do you do that? “Live by the Spirit," and you will kill the desires of the sinful nature. When we preserve the “fruits of the spirit," God who is our caregiver, will be “glorified”.