Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. (Song 2.15)
The scripture speaks of tender grapes, which might refer to young or immature believers, these being perhaps more vulnerable to being crushed or damaged. Or it might be more general; since we are all fragile; weak and frail at best.
It is the ‘little foxes’ that spoil the tender grapes. These may not be the ‘obvious’ challenges to our faith. Litte foxes might be overlooked or easily hidden.
A great many matters might be ‘little.’ We refer to serious sins; sins of the flesh – minimising sins of attitude or thought, of wrong ambition, etc. We might add laziness, or tolerating crude language, or carelessness. Of course, one risk with providing examples is that I miss those faults which I most need to address in my own life! Our culture minimises personal wrong-doing; sins are excused not confessed. We indulge bad attitudes, ‘menial’ sins, peccadillos.
Jesus took aside the blind man. After laying His hands on him, he could see men ‘like trees walking.’ This required a second work from Jesus, a work of focus, giving clarity. Might Jesus focus our understanding, that we might see better the ‘little foxes’ more clearly!
Conclusion:
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7.3-5)
Jesus spoke of dust and a plank. He highlights the risk of hypocrisy. The image is well-strong and well understood. The context is of us serving one another as brothers and sisters. There remains a need to rid my own eyes of planks as well as dust; as Jesus says, so I can see clearly to remove the speck of dust from my brother’s eye.