Thursday, April
20, 2017
My dove is hiding behind the rocks, behind an outcrop on the cliff. Let me see your face; let me hear your voice. For your voice is pleasant, and your face is
lovely. Catch all the foxes, those
little foxes, before they ruin the vineyard of love, for the grapevines are
blossoming!
Song of Solomon 2:14-15(NLT)
Many
scholars agree[ii] that
this love poem of Solomon’s, while it accurately depicts intimate details of
the romantic life of an adult man and woman in love, also points to the deeper
aspects of God’s covenant with His vineyard (Israel) and His bride, the New Testament
church.
In these
two verses it is the man seeking out his beautiful “dove” who is playfully hiding
behind the rocks. He wants to see her
and talk with her, listening to the voice that enchants him. This couple is crazy in love!
But
abruptly the voice changes…catch all
the foxes! Catch those little
devils before they spoil everything! What could spoil this intense love
affair? And what does it have to do with
the church?
Again from
literature and the lore of Middle East life, foxes are particularly fond of the
young ripening grapes. They ruin the
grapevines by gnawing at the tender roots until the branches fall on the
ground. Left alone they leave a vineyard
devastated. [iii]
The young
lover is cautioning his bride to pay attention to little enemy foxes that might ruin the
blossom of their relationship; he warns her to exterminate any foe from the
vineyard of their love, so their harvest
of love will not be spoiled.
Now, all
that is very picturesque for lovers, and important for keepers of vineyards. But, once again, what does it have to do with
the church?
Answer: everything!
If we are
the bride, then the groom is talking to us about whatever would spoil the
relationship between Christ and His church.
If you are
part of the bride, you must learn to be a tracker of foxes! And what are the foxes? These fox-enemies
of the church are those damaging, gnawing attitudes and habits that nip off the
young fruit of mercy and ministry on God’s vine.
To get an
idea of the extent of the foxes that are after the young fruit in the vineyard,
just consider the list of seven deadly sins:
greed, lust, sloth, anger, pride, gluttony, and envy. Those are the primary foxes, and they feed
all sorts of offspring: child pornography,
gambling, substance abuse…well, the list goes on. In short, responding to the love of God means
Christians must care for God’s vineyard.
Now, that’s a lot of work, and it means God calls all of us to be part
of his workforce.
All of us!
Now, that’s
a joint project for all Christians because it’s a big vineyard. There are multiple millions of Christians in
the church, and with each redeemed believer there are numbers of foxes that
lurk near the blossoming fruit.
For You Today
If a follower of Jesus Christ
is going to be a worker in God’s vineyard, alertness is required. Foxes show up quietly and move quickly.
NOTES
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