Take us the foxes
Song of Solomon 2:15 “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.”
As Christians, we are all called to bear fruit:
John 15:5,8 “I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing.
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”
The Lord Jesus is saying to His beloved believer: Let us work at those things which hinder you from bearing fruit. But they are “little foxes”. They are not major problems; for we would go to Jesus at once for help with them.
They are “little” foxes; which come in through the fence anywhere, and eat the tender blossoms of grapes. (Big foxes will eat on the fruit of the grapes, but the little foxes nip in the bud, whole clusters of grapes in one single bite, because it is still in the blossom stage.)
But if these “little foxes” are not seen to; then there will be none, to very little, fruit.
So Jesus says “Let us see to them, together”.
These “little foxes” are the natural way we do things. Instead of relying on the Holy Spirit, we “think things out” and come to a “conclusion”. We often do them, by choice, automatically. They are the natural us, and it takes effort to set them aside, and seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance and help.
Instead of seeking for joy and peace, we seek “happiness”, which is fleeting and deals with what is going on with us. (Joy comes from knowing the Presence of God in my life, and it does not rely on circumstances.)
Instead of following close to Christ, we rely on the experience we had Sunday, yesterday, even this morning. Those experiences are good, but not when Christ is calling you on to what is next.
Real fruit comes from the Holy Spirit within. There is the fruit of the Spirit, in our lives:
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
And there is the fruit of a Christian, which is another Christian; for we are all called as witnesses of Christ Jesus:
Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
But to bring forth the fruit of the Spirit, we need to “take us the foxes, the little foxes, which spoil the vines”, with Him.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 