Song of Songs 2:8-15.
A mysterious little Book in the Bible that most people regard as a love story or even as an erotic one, but is it really so?
On closer study of this Book we find that it is an account of the conversation between a girl, called
the Shulamite and her Beloved. Occasionally, in the account, some other people interject who are
bystanders or neutral observers. What does the message of the Book really tell us? It describes the relationship between Christ (the Beloved) and the Church or the believer (Shulamite), a relationship of Love, Christ's love for the Church.
As the story unfolds in the Book, we can trace Love in four stages:
1. Initial Love
2. Fluctuating Love
3. Growing Love
4. Mature Love
In the verses above, we see the Maiden after the Initial Love which is the stage that every believer should experience when they come to Christ. This is the warm love that fills believers with zeal and joy in the knowledge of the Saviour's touch upon the believer's heart.
Following this state, the Maiden or believer cools off and the Beloved or Christ tries to draw her
out from this frozen, lukewarm state. However, before moving on which is the desired next stage
for the believer small obstacles or problems in the heart have to be dealt with. The heart is likened to a vine, symbol of spiritual life.
Christ spoke of Himself as the True Vine. Here, the Vines are described as having tender grapes, a delicate stage in the life of the Vine. It is the time when fruit appears on the vine so we need extra care.
The danger here for the fruit of the Vine is spoken of as 'Little Foxes' that can damage the fruit.
Little Foxes are small animals that pose a threat to the fruit of the Vine, but they can cause great damage. These little things, if left unattended, can cause a lot of damage in the spiritual life of the
believer. These can be faults we do not usually consider as serious obstacles in our spiritual lives, things like a bad temper, unclean thoughts that persist, "innocent" habits of all kinds, lack of discipline and many more can damage the Fruit of the Spirit in our spiritual walk with Christ.
Paul, the Apostle, in Heb.12:1 speaks of weights that can hinder us and make us heavy spiritually
so that we cannot run the Race of Faith effectively. Little things we do not normally consider as sins but we can carry, even from our old lives. Paul again, in 1 Cor.5:6-8, warns about the 'Old Leaven' that can inflate us and can delay us in our spiritual walk and progress.
We need to deal with the Little Foxes that can spoil the Fruit of the Vine. Treat the problem as Urgent, do not delay or leave it unattended as something not important. In verse 15 of Songs ch. 2 we have a Command 'Take us', take is plural, not singular. The term 'Take Us' suggests here that it is a joint effort, we are not left to our own resources alone to tackle the problem. God has sent His Holy Spirit to earth to be with us, to lead and to guide us, being a Comforter in every trial and Tribulation we face in this dark world in which we live. Take courage and be a man or a woman of God.
A mysterious little Book in the Bible that most people regard as a love story or even as an erotic one, but is it really so?
On closer study of this Book we find that it is an account of the conversation between a girl, called
the Shulamite and her Beloved. Occasionally, in the account, some other people interject who are
bystanders or neutral observers. What does the message of the Book really tell us? It describes the relationship between Christ (the Beloved) and the Church or the believer (Shulamite), a relationship of Love, Christ's love for the Church.
As the story unfolds in the Book, we can trace Love in four stages:
1. Initial Love
2. Fluctuating Love
3. Growing Love
4. Mature Love
In the verses above, we see the Maiden after the Initial Love which is the stage that every believer should experience when they come to Christ. This is the warm love that fills believers with zeal and joy in the knowledge of the Saviour's touch upon the believer's heart.
Following this state, the Maiden or believer cools off and the Beloved or Christ tries to draw her
out from this frozen, lukewarm state. However, before moving on which is the desired next stage
for the believer small obstacles or problems in the heart have to be dealt with. The heart is likened to a vine, symbol of spiritual life.
Christ spoke of Himself as the True Vine. Here, the Vines are described as having tender grapes, a delicate stage in the life of the Vine. It is the time when fruit appears on the vine so we need extra care.
The danger here for the fruit of the Vine is spoken of as 'Little Foxes' that can damage the fruit.
Little Foxes are small animals that pose a threat to the fruit of the Vine, but they can cause great damage. These little things, if left unattended, can cause a lot of damage in the spiritual life of the
believer. These can be faults we do not usually consider as serious obstacles in our spiritual lives, things like a bad temper, unclean thoughts that persist, "innocent" habits of all kinds, lack of discipline and many more can damage the Fruit of the Spirit in our spiritual walk with Christ.
Paul, the Apostle, in Heb.12:1 speaks of weights that can hinder us and make us heavy spiritually
so that we cannot run the Race of Faith effectively. Little things we do not normally consider as sins but we can carry, even from our old lives. Paul again, in 1 Cor.5:6-8, warns about the 'Old Leaven' that can inflate us and can delay us in our spiritual walk and progress.
We need to deal with the Little Foxes that can spoil the Fruit of the Vine. Treat the problem as Urgent, do not delay or leave it unattended as something not important. In verse 15 of Songs ch. 2 we have a Command 'Take us', take is plural, not singular. The term 'Take Us' suggests here that it is a joint effort, we are not left to our own resources alone to tackle the problem. God has sent His Holy Spirit to earth to be with us, to lead and to guide us, being a Comforter in every trial and Tribulation we face in this dark world in which we live. Take courage and be a man or a woman of God.
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