“Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes.” (Song of Solomon 2:15)
In the early years of marriage, whenever my husband and I had a misunderstanding, I would go silent. You know that silent treatment we give our spouses, the one the Lord has corrected us about so many times, yet we still slip into it because our feelings are loud and pride won’t let us talk things through.
But I began to notice something. After every episode of silence, it became harder to return emotionally. The distance lingered longer each time. Those moments of withdrawal built invisible walls between us that only God’s love could tear down.
So when I came upon Song of Solomon 2:15, the Holy Spirit said, pause here. For the first time, I truly saw what was being said. I saw what the Shulamite’s brothers were warning about. I’ve read this book many times, but never seen it this way. Perhaps it was because this time, I approached it as a conversation between me and Jesus Christ, a love dialogue between the Bridegroom and His bride.
When the verse says, “Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines,” it is telling us to guard love from the subtle things that destroy intimacy. The “vines” represent the tender, growing parts of a relationship; love, trust, peace, and unity. The “little foxes” are those small attitudes, silent offenses, and prideful responses that silently eat away at what God is building.
Sometimes, it’s not betrayal or big fights that ruin a marriage; it’s the slow drift caused by repeated silence, unspoken resentment, or constant defensiveness. It’s those moments when we choose ego over humility, when we’d rather be right than be reconciled. Each time we do, a “little fox” slips into the vineyard. The danger of the little foxes is that they work quietly. You may not notice at first that your heart has grown distant, that your worship feels dry or insincere, or that joy no longer flows as easily as it once did. Yet, the fruit of your love garden is being eaten away, slowly but surely.
The Shulamite’s brothers understood something profound about our union with both our spouses and God and even all relationships generally, if you don’t deal with the little foxes early, they’ll destroy the tender grapes, the very fruit of love. A small compromise here, a neglected prayer life there, bitterness that we never confess; these “little foxes” eat at our spiritual fruit until joy, peace, and intimacy with the Lord fade.
The good part is that like the Shunamite’s beloved, God’s love invites us back. He doesn’t condemn; He calls us to guard the garden of our love with Him, to walk with His Spirit, to tend the vineyard of our hearts together.
- So, what “little foxes” have been slipping into your marriage or walk with God?
- Are there unresolved offenses or quiet resentments that need to be caught and brought before God?
- Have you allowed pride to keep you from honest conversations that could restore love?
- What steps can you take today to guard your intimacy with your spouse/Jesus Christ?
Take out the weeds that choke love.
Take out the anger.
Take out the bitterness.
Take out the malice.
Take out the little compromises here and there.
Choose your love for Him over comfort.
Choose your love for Him over success.
Choose your love for Him over ego and pride.
Choose Him today and always.
Only then will you truly blossom.
