I please the Lord to bless us
together this morning as we meditate in his word let us turn to the
Song of Solomon the second chapter and we'll read verse 15 the second
chapter in the Song of Solomon and reading verse 15 take us the foxes, the little
foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes. It may seem rather strange that
the Lord should insert such a statement in the book of the Song of Solomon,
especially as it would appear to be a generally a conversation
between the Church of Christ and the Saviour himself in a
spiritual way and to encourage and strengthen and to bless and
then we come down to a verse like this which almost appears
to have no relevance to what has gone before and what comes
after But I think the relevance is very simply this. If we turn it into a spiritual
consideration, what is occurring is, there is a heavenly conversation
between Christ and his church. And of course, the devil doesn't
like any heavenly conversation, and therefore he endeavours to
bring in things which cause departure from that position you might
say separation and so here we have a great distraction in this
time of fellowship, in this time of special union we find that
there are some foxes which are often in the Middle East, and
they were don't know if they are still today but they were
very prevalent and therefore these foxes they come in and
they spore the vines and this no doubt was to disturb the pleasant
situation which was existing and it meant that they had to
be curtailed and perhaps broken off while these foxes were indeed
dealt with and chased away So if we think of that in a spiritual
sense then we have to recognise that when the Lord graciously
comes and blesses us perhaps with spiritual conversation one
to another more blessedly spiritual union, communion with the Lord
Jesus Christ there is the determination of the devil to bring in these
little foxes which will separate and as God may help us we'll
go through some of these little foxes which the Lord permits
sometimes to come and to disturb us because we must always realise
that in our journey through life that it's never an easy life,
it's always a battle because the devil never wants us to get
home to glory he always wants to destroy our religion. He wants to destroy our union
with the Lord Jesus Christ. He wants to cause to cease any
communion and conversation we may have with the Saviour. And
therefore we need to be very aware that there are these little
foxes which the devil brings about to try and cause separation,
divisions, And it's a wonderful blessing when the Lord gives
us this understanding. And of course, it is a picture
for us. I guess most of us have seen foxes, perhaps not like
they were in the Middle East, because you may remember in Samson's
day, he found and caught 300 foxes to tie, and tail to tail,
and then send into the standing corn to set it by fire. well
we'd be very hard pressed today to find 300 foxes so clearly
there were a lot of foxes around in that time and there's reference
to them you know when they were building the walls of Jerusalem
it was said even a fox should come up and break down the wall
so obviously there were a lot of foxes about so a fox was a
good animal to bring into this illustration and What are foxes
going to do? Well, we're told that they're
going to spoil the vines. Vines, of course, were the trees
or bushes upon which grapes grow. They don't generally grow very
high, and as you've seen vineyards, no doubt about it, even in our
country, and especially on the continent, we see vines which
don't grow very tall, they're usually cut back, and yet, there
they are and therefore it's quite easy to get at them and we're
told these foxes come and they spoil the vines they very quickly
come and gnaw at the stems of these vines and foxes have very
sharp teeth generally used of course for catching prey and
killing prey very rapidly but they can also use the teeth to
eat fruit and to spoil things like this so they have very sharp
teeth to destroy the vines and they are very quick in their
movements foxes are very quick and to avoid people really often
even seeing them they are very rapid in their movements and
they are also they are very cunning and they are also very crafty
so therefore a picture of a fox is quite a good one to have in
a picture like this and if you may have watched foxes run sometimes
they generally don't run in a straight line they kind of zig-zag so
their path is not easy to determine and of course they are very able
and apt and agile to jump across fences and over fences and gates
and therefore they are quite difficult to follow and difficult
to catch and so we have then a natural picture of a fox. Take us, the foxes, the little
foxes, let's spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes. Now, we might just perhaps hint
at some of the beautiful language that the Bride of Christ and
the Bride were speaking together, especially the Bride speaking
to the bridegroom rather speaking to the bride and he says the
voice of my beloved behold he cometh upon the mountains skipping
upon the hills my beloved is like a roe or a young heart behold
he standeth behind our wall he looketh forth at the window showing
himself through the lattice and then we read my beloved spake
and said unto me Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. Well, that's good news, isn't
it? That's good to a poor sinner that's laid low by the effect
of sin. Encouraging words. To not lay
and stay in a down position, but to rise up and to come away. It's been a winter. It's been a hard time. Been a difficult time. And now
there's this encouragement for, no, the winter has passed. Yes, it's gone. The rain is over
and gone. And there's a difference, a wonderful
change from that position. The flowers appear on the earth,
and I'm sure we all know and have watched this scene of the
seasons change from a bare and cold and difficult time to the
time of spring when the flowers appear, what an encouraging time
it is and especially it is so spiritually when there are signs
of life signs of spiritual life well I'm sure we can imagine,
can't we? the devil hates to see any life, spiritual life
he wants to kill it off as quickly as he can the flowers appear on the earth the
time of the singing of birds has come and we know that don't
we? especially perhaps the dawn chorus in the spring you can
wake up when the sun rises or before the sun rises and there's
a multitude of birds singing it's a lovely time the good news
of the gospel and now of course as we're coming towards the autumn
and the winter there's very little of the singing of the birds in
the middle of winter there's not much singing there is some
and we're thankful for that and there is spiritually therefore
in times of winter there is some life but perhaps not like we
would like it times of singing of birds has come the voice of
the turtle is heard in our land that means the turtle dove not
of course a physical turtle one that we associate with the sea
but the turtle dove is heard in our land and then the fig
tree putting forth her green figs and her vines with the tender
grapes give a good smell, and then encouragement again. Arise
my love, my fair one, and come away, O my dove, art in the clefts
of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs. Let me see thy
countenance, let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice,
and thy countenance is comely. Well, it's wonderful, isn't it,
to think that in a conversation like this the Lord looks at us
and speaks beautifully and says, Let me hear thy voice. He wants
to hear the voice of the church of God. And of course the devil
doesn't want that at all. He doesn't want us to pray. He doesn't want us to call upon
the name of the Lord. And so here we have this statement,
O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret place
of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy
voice, for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
So we see really here a healthy position in the Church of God. Then we read, take us the foxes. The devil we see brings these
foxes to bear, these foxes to come and to cause a departure
from this way. And one of the ways that the
devil uses is to produce this what I might term self-centredness
we become self-centred instead of thinking of the other instead
of thinking upon the saviour and what he's done and his great
and glorious work of salvation we find there is this self-centredness
and you may say well what does that really mean? it's a number
of things really but it's good to just ponder this because it's
very easy to fall into the snare of the devil first of all instead
of thinking about the Saviour and thinking about the things
of God we think about ourselves we think about ourselves oh yes
and we're very pleased to think about ourselves and in thinking
about ourselves we think how good it is and what we've done
and what we've said and what we've achieved and what we're
going to do and our plans. We're all taking up with ourselves
instead of taking up with the things of God. Instead of being
taken up with praying to God, instead of being taken up with
conversation with our God through the great blessing of prayer,
we find ourselves then thinking about ourselves great snare you
know that is and how difficult it is to separate ourselves you
know in Timothy second chapter of Timothy we're told for men
shall be lovers of their own selves Paul clearly knew the
cause of that he knew the effect of it personally otherwise he
wouldn't have been able to write it And therefore he is now addressing
his son in the faith, Timothy, to warn him of such a situation
and such a temptation. For men shall be lovers of their
own selves. Well may the Lord deliver us
from being lovers of our own selves. Because what does that
produce? It doesn't produce any honour
and glory for God does it no it just is there to bolster up
our own position our own situation so therefore here we have this
thinking about ourselves and then not only thinking about
ourselves but talking about ourselves you know sometimes we can meet
people and perhaps all we do and start doing is what we've
done and what we're going to do the conversation is taken
up with just that what does that mean? we're lovers of our own
selves we want to tell people how wonderful we are and what
we've been able to do and what we've passed through what do
we find? we find it a snare isn't it? see how subtle the devil is to
distract us from the much more important things of what Christ
has done. What Christ has done. Not to
talk about ourselves, but talk about Christ. The day and age
in which we live is a day when the devil shuts mouths. The devil wants to keep us quiet. The devil makes us desire to
talk about everything else other than the great and blessed work
of the Saviour. Now sadly, of course, in the
day and age in which we live, people haven't often got very
much to say about the Saviour. But that shouldn't detract us,
because if we have anything to say, if anything to praise God
for, and we should have something, then we should meditate and concentrate
on that. Not necessarily on ourselves,
what is done, but what is recorded in his word. See, as we read
the word of God, as we read the Bible, and I hope we all do read
the Bible every day, we have something to speak about, don't
we? We've read the Bible, and we've
got something to speak about. We don't need to then come and
talk about ourselves. What is it? It's a little fox. There it is, you see. A little
fox come in and spoiling the vine, spoiling the position we've
been in. The vine can also be referred
perhaps to the Church of God. There are many vines, there are
many churches and how easily they can be spoiled by, first
of all, thinking about ourselves and then talking about ourselves
remember this is really self-centeredness a little fox doesn't appear to
be very relevant but it's very cunning the devil uses it very
cunningly to take us away from the things of God and so talk
about ourselves and then to expect to be appreciated. You know,
we should do all things as unto the Lord, for his honour and
glory. And we should not expect to be
appreciated. And yet you see, we expect to
be appreciated. And what is it? It's a little
fox, creeping in, to separate us in our spiritual life. And we're more concerned about
what people are going to say about us than we are about what
they're going to say about the things of God. We expect to be
appreciated. It's a good thing, isn't it,
when God gives us grace not to expect to be appreciated. Not to expect to be appreciated. we find a little fox like this
coming into our lives and causing a separation from the things
of God well what a mercy it is when the Holy Spirit alerts us
to this situation expect to be appreciated I'm sure we understand
what that means in our lives and then you know another little
fox is to be very sensitive about people slighting us. People can
just slight us, say things a bit against us. We rise up in our hearts about
it and we get agitated about it. And what does it do? Does
it drive us nearer to Christ or does it drive us to agony
in our own minds which doesn't produce any blessing? brings
us into a critical form and a critical situation. We find therefore
that people who slight us, we then bear malice against them
and hatred and enmity and all these things so quickly generate
from a very little fox to much larger things. So the devil is
very cunning, don't forget that. He's very cunning and crafty.
He just brings a little thing. and it grows to a very large
thing. It is because of this dillophox
self-centredness. For men shall be lovers of their
own selves. Let us not then be sensitive
to slights. And then, to not forgive people
that criticise. On the other hand, we should
be very careful not to criticise. People who have criticised, we're
not careful, we're very sensitive and we're not very willing to
forgive. And yet you know a forgiving
spirit is a wonderful blessing. And when you and I are blessed
with grace to forgive, It brings peace into our hearts. And when
we don't forgive, there's that within us which keeps on churning
around. And yet you see the word of God
is very clear. The Lord was asked, how many
times should I forgive? Seven times? Oh no, said God. Not seven times, but 70 times
seven. Of course, that's 490. but he
didn't really mean that number, he meant to continually forgive. So if someone therefore criticizes
us, and we don't like being criticized, do we? It's very nasty, it's
very painful, but we should be willing to forgive. What is it? It's a little fox coming in,
you see, he knows sometimes how sensitive we are to criticism. some people more than others.
Nonetheless, we are sensitive to being criticised. It's a little
fox and we should be very ready to forgive people criticising.
They might be right, they might be wrong. Nonetheless, it's still
right to forgive. Because we must almost remember
that we've often perhaps in our heart criticised God's dealings
with us. When things haven't gone in accordance
with our plans, what have we done? In our heart, we've been
critical. They haven't gone in accordance
with our plans. What we've really done, we've
been criticising God. We're blessing Him when the Lord
gives us that great gift of forgiveness. But let us not forget it's a
little fox. which is creeping in so many
little foxes aren't there? there were many little foxes
which were used to spoil the vines the devil doesn't just
use one and think well that's ok I'll leave it, no he keeps
on this one, that one, that one he wants to continually destroy
us if he can in our spiritual life by bringing these little
foxes, so let us forgive her criticism. And then we don't like people
forgetting something that we've done, a service that we've rendered. We like people to remember those
things, to give us a pat on the back and say, that's good and
that's well done and what does it do really? do you know what
it does? it just fosters our pride no
I'm not speaking against people thanking people for things it's
right to do so and proper to do so but we shouldn't be looking
for it all the time so it kind of dominates our minds and dominates
our thoughts self-centeredness And I suppose
it can be brought together and summarized very adequately in
the blessed word from God himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, when he
spoke to his disciples in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 16
and verse 24, when he said, if any man will come after me, if
any man will come after me, and I trust we all desire to come
after, to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope we all desire
to do that. And if we don't, we need to question
the reality and the vitality of our religion. Nonetheless,
we are told, if any man will come after me, what are we to
do? Let him deny himself. That's
a very comprehensive statement. It includes all the items that
I've just gone through. If any man will come after me,
let him deny himself. But there's not a vacuum. We're
not left with nothing because the Lord then encourages us in
something very personal and something very important. And take up his cross and follow
me. If we were more concerned about
that, taking up our cross, And following the Lord, you see,
all these other things would not be so predominant in our
lives. They would fall into the background.
They wouldn't be very important. Our great concern would very
simply be to be doing the will of our God. Well, let us hear
the words of Jesus. They're far better than my words.
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take
up his cross and follow me. You see all of us know what that
means in our lives, individually. It has, without any doubt, an
application and it has a personal application to us. What a blessing
if the Lord directs us to that. Let's move on to another little
fox, and that is bitterness. Bitterness. So easy, you know,
to be bitter against people. So difficult it is. And again,
the Apostle Paul knew what it was to endure this. He was a
man of God and he faced many, many times opposition and bitterness
against him because of his stand for Christ, because of the path
that he'd walked, because of the telling and good example
that he set before the Church of God. We're very thankful that
in the 12th chapter of Hebrews and in the 15th verse he gives
us good advice, so much advice. does the Apostle give through
the Holy Spirit of God. He says this, looking diligently. Again, it's a good word, isn't
it, to be diligent in the things of God. Looking diligently, lest
any man should fail in the grace of God, lest any, lest any, that
means when it says any, root of bitterness, springing up,
trouble you. and thereby many be defiled bitterness
is a little fox doesn't appear to be very much but you know
you can harbour we can harbour in our hearts bitterness against
someone because of something they've said or done and you
and I need much grace to subdue that indeed we need the Holy
Spirit of God to take away any bitterness. It's a little fox,
which doesn't appear to be very much to start with, but it grows. It's a root of bitterness springing
up, and it causes trouble, and it causes trouble. And as the
Apostle says, thereby many be defiled. It's not something that
just is within us and keeps us to ourselves, it kind of oozes
out this bitterness. Before you know where you are,
it's spread. Before you know where you are, you've spread
it abroad. It's grown greatly. Bitterness. Keep it in. Subdue it. By the grace of God,
it is a little fox. My friends, it's very cunning,
you see, this devil. Don't forget, he'll try every
avenue he can to separate you and me from Christ. That's his
great aim. bitterness, springing up trouble
you and therefore many be defiled and therefore we can just move
on to another little fox we've kind of touched on it in the
self-centeredness but let's just perhaps take it a bit more fully
and that is forgiveness now if God has forgiven you and me.
And that is essential in our spiritual life. Because if we
never receive forgiveness, we should never get to heaven. Because
if we never receive forgiveness, we've never had our sins taken
away. And as I often tell you, there are no sins in heaven.
So all of us need our sins to be forgiven. We all need the
great and blessed gift repentance, to repent because of our sins. And therefore if the glorious
and gracious God has forgiven us, we ought therefore to forgive
one another. And the Apostle, he sums it up
really in the Ephesians and we meditated on it not so long ago
in the fourth chapter and in the 32nd verse this is what he
says and be kind one to another tender hearted isn't that lovely?
beautiful spirit isn't it? kind tender hearted well the
old devil doesn't like that does he? and therefore you see you
try and get in as this little fox be kind one to another, tender
hearted, forgiving one another. Forgiving one another and then
of course he draws the wonderful analogy of the Lord. Forgiving
one another even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you. If Christ has forgiven us we
cannot but forgive other people. I firmly believe that no one
will enter into heaven with an unforgiving spirit. However difficult
it may be, however much opposition we may have had, however we may
have been wrongly treated and unfairly treated, just align
ourselves with what we've done to the Saviour and we will very
quickly find that we've offended our God, days without number,
terribly sometimes, terribly sinned against Him, and yet what
a mercy He's forgiven us, and so even as God, for Christ's
sake, hath forgiven you. Well, bless God then, if this
little fox, which may appear on the surface to be quite minor,
is not allowed to grow into a great problem and difficulty. Some
people, you see, have such an avid and evil spirit, they won't
even talk to people. They are so unforgiving. Well, what a blessing that Christ
doesn't cast us off and not talk to us, isn't it? What a mercy. So let us follow the gracious
word of God. These, my friends, this morning,
exhortations but they are in accordance with the Word of God
and they are indeed important and they come with love how relevant
they are even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you and them
perhaps just one last thought in this little fox and that is
very simply this word thoughtlessness we can say things and we can
do things thoughtlessly and not realising the effect
it has on people we're thoughtless in what we say you know when
I was young people used to say sometimes before you speak bite
your tongue well don't do it physically it's painful nonetheless
what it means is don't just say things quickly just think about
it don't be thoughtless in your expressions because they can
be sometimes very hurtful and usually very unnecessary thoughtlessness
it's a little fox which can so easily spring out and what's
the effect? it spoils the vine all these
things spoil the mind they spoil things they spoil the church
of God they spoil the blessing of God yes that's what the devil
wants and so let's come back to the position here here it
is a little verse in the middle of this seems to be out of place
but it's not God in his divine will and purpose has placed it
here for our instruction to take heed to it to recognise it, and
therefore let us not be thoughtless in the way we operate, the things
we say and the things we do. You see, how much we need grace,
don't we? How much we need God's favour,
how much we need God's mercy toward us, to walk out our religion
in a proper way, in an outward way. so that people might observe
how we speak how we act and is it in accordance with the word
of God and we should not therefore think well I'm doing this right
what we're trying to do is to justify ourselves it's very easy
that isn't it we need to be justified by God then you see we know we're
right and what does that do? it brings the blessing of the
Lord it brings favour it brings the answer of a good conscience
which is of great blessing to direct us to do those things
which are in accordance with His will and not our will and
it really comes back to this which I spoke earlier for men
shall be lovers of their own selves How simple it is to fall
under that difficulty and be lovers of our own selves rather
than lovers of God. And if we're lovers of God, you
know our great concern should be to do the will of God, not
to please ourselves. Well, we know, don't we, that
Lord Jesus Christ gloriously fulfilled that by not doing His
own will, but pleasing His Father in heaven. So today, my friends,
may you and I be blessed with that wonderful spirit, the desire
to do the will of our God, to please our God, and to keep away
from anything that separates us from communion with the Lord
Jesus Christ, but to walk with Him, to work before Him, and
to enjoy His communion, to hear His voice, and to be blessed
with His love toward us. You see, the Lord has loved us. Bless God if He has. We ought
to love one another. We're not going to love one another
if we have an unforgiving spirit, are we? Well, if God does love us, and
if we have the testimony, evidence, that God does love us, blessed
be God, but we have to walk it out, haven't we? We don't want
these little foxes to come in which spoil the vines. For our
vines have tender grapes and it really directs us indeed to,
especially those who are young in the faith. There are those
in the Church of God who are young in the faith. We bless
God for it. We should not expect them to
be giants. We should not expect them to
be old. We should recognize they're young in the faith and they need
nurturing and encouragement. We should not be too judgmental
against them. We should speak to them in a
right way, in love to their souls. Yes, not in any judgmental spirit,
in love to their souls. These tender grapes, We love
to see them, don't we? We love to see the young in the
faith who are tender in the things of God. But my friends, we don't
want to bring them into a time of enmity or hatred. We want
to encourage them and speak lovingly. As the Word of God tells us,
we do all things amiss unless we do all things in love. What a wonderful statement that
is. what a wonderful thing it is we have the word of God to
speak so gloriously to us and to direct us and so as we walk
on in a difficult age in which we live let us remember this
little statement it's not hard to remember is it? we see foxes
don't we? wandering across the road at
night or perhaps in our gardens and when we see that perhaps
just think well am I acting like a fox? Am I spoiling the vines? Am I affecting the tender grapes,
the young in the faith? And if I am, may God show me
where I'm going wrong. And Holy Spirit, graciously direct
me so that I may be a good example to the Church of God and evidence
this great blessing of Christ's love toward me. I may have the
Spirit of Christ. Well, may we all indeed desire
to have that in our lives as we journey through life. Life
is a battle. Life is difficult. The devil
is always looking for an opportunity to come and affect us in a wrong
way. But let us be found looking unto
Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith. Amen.