Pastor Dan’s June 2011 Blog – “Catching the little foxes”
Song of Solomon 2:15 15 Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes. ( NKJ 15 Then you must protect me from the foxes, foxes on the prowl, foxes who would like nothing better than to get into our flowering garden. (Message)
Foxes are amazing animals and even more amazing hunters. They are often reputed in folklore for their slyness and craftiness. Though they’re related to dogs, they act more like cats. They’re nocturnal, hunting only at night they slowly and quietly approach their prey under cover of darkness. Foxes are omnivores and will survive on anything in their environment including tender plants, which helps us understand this scripture and explain why the little foxes would come into a flowering garden. <br><br>
When I was child we sang a song that said: “the devil is a sly ol’ fox, if I could catch him I’d put him in a box, lock the door and throw away the key, for all the mean tricks he’s played on me.” (Believe it or not…we sang it.) Jesus told us that, “ …the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; [but] I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) <br><br>Destruction is the enemy’s ultimate goal but he doesn’t start there. He starts as a thief that comes to quietly and slowly steal the potential of good things yet to come (and thieves most commonly steal under the cover of darkness). He steals the seed of the Word before it has a chance to germinate and grow. He wants to steal and kill our faith, even God-given dreams while they’re in embryonic form. Like in the time of Moses/Pharoah and Jesus/Herod he seeks to kill the anointed one before he or she can become a threat to him and bring about his ultimate demise. Note again, that the scripture warns about the little foxes, for its seldom the big temptations, that we suspect and are guarded against, that open the door to destruction in our lives but the subtle, little things we fail to catch even while they are happening: The subtle doubts, speculations, white lies, compromises, wandering eyes, an unbridled tongue, a small neglect of our marriage relationship or just an inability to release an offense. Unchecked, these things will become that which will bring the ultimate destruction of vineyard or garden God planted in our lives. <br><br>
Lam 2:15 & 18 tells us, “The joy of our heart has ceased; our dance has turned into mourning. 16 The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned! 17 Because of this our heart is faint; because of these things our eyes grow dim; 18 Because of Mount Zion which is desolate, with foxes walking about on it.
The prophet Jeremiah penned these words after watching the utter destruction of the City of Jerusalem and the Temple of the LORD by the enemies of Israel. According to these verses, joy is the first thing to go followed by our ability to rule in life, which leads to a loss of passion and vision leading to annihilation and desolation, and now foxes have become the new residents of what was once the place where God ruled and His presence dwelled. <br><br>Jerusalem’s defenses were now completely down. So almost 100 years later the Lord entreats a man by the name of Nehemiah, after hearing that the walls of Jerusalem were broken down that he wept and mourned and fasted and prayed and the Lord called him to restore the wall of defense around Jerusalem. But there was great resistance, as there will also be in your life when you begin to build proper defenses around your marriage, family or church. Neh 4:3 tells us that Judah’s enemy, “3…Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.” Our enemy will always stand near us whispering words of discouragement reminding us that our progress will be undone by the little foxes he sends and the people of Jerusalem did become discouraged. Vs 10 tells us that, “10 Then Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is failing, and there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall.” Our strength will fail if we get our eyes on the rubbish in our lives left behind by the efforts and successes of the little foxes.<br><br>
What was Nehemiah’s response? Starting in Vs 13, 13 Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.” He calls us to be rebuilders of ruins and repairers of the breaches (Is 58:12; 61:4); ruined lives, families and cities. He calls us to build the defenses against the enemy. Notice that he set men and their families and armed them for battle. Then is say’s that he “looked.” God want to refine our vision and open our eyes I to ruin around us. Then it says, that he “arose.” When our eyes are enlarged and our vision is refined we need to then take action. Then it says that he “said.” We need to speak with our actions and then follow it up with our words. <br><br>They Lord wants to give us a specific “rhema” word to address the situation of ruin and hopelessness around us. He wants to make us the answer. Next he admonished them not to fear the enemy in but place their eyes on God who is so much greater and it’s from this viewpoint that we are to fight for our brethren, our children, our wives and our homes.
In my years in ministry I have watched the breakdown of godly marriages, families, ministries and churches leaving so much heartache, ruin, and desolation. The foundations were removed slowly out from under them while they were busy doing business for God while their personal prayer life and devotional life was allowed to slip just a little accompanied by a slight or small neglect of their marriage relationship and time spent with their children. Before they knew it enough foundation had deteriorated away so that a small storm or temptation brought everything down at once. But God is a God of restoration and He calls to us at this hour. It’s time for us not be ignorant of the enemies devices, it’s time for us to become rebuilders and repairers of the defense around our lives, our homes and our churches. It’s time to fight! It’s time to catch the “little foxes!”