Foxes

Suggested listening: May the Words of My Mouth, by Fernando Ortega

“May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
~Psalm 19:4~

“Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines,
for our vines have tender grapes.”
~Song of Solomon 2:15~

I am convicted by this passage to be more diligent over my speech. I recently used some strong language against a person who hurt my friend and their family. While justice on her behalf was justifiable, unfiltered language that goes unchecked can cause resentment and criticism to creep into my own life and compromise my thought patterns, causing me to fixate on another’s shortcomings instead of thanking God for what he’s done in my own life. I want to clothe myself with thanksgivings and not negative speech, because I don’t want “cursing” to enter my body with those unfiltered expressions.

In Samuel 25, beautiful Abigail is married to a wealthy but harsh and arrogant man who rebuffs David. Abigail wisely and tactfully intercepts David’s intents to retaliate against Nabal with bloodshed. Things work out well for Abigail in the end, but I am curious how long she lived with such prudence and patience under Nabal’s roof before his death. It is hard to bless those who consistently make choices that don’t bring life to their family members, like Nabal. It really makes Abigail stand in the hero’s hall of fame. Nabal would have made me so angry, and yet Abigail was so wise in dealing with the situation for how many long years?

Abigail’s example helped me understand what the above passage in Song of Solomon calls the little foxes. Emerson Eggerich calls these foxes the wily attitudes that worm their way into our thought patterns, setting us up to be critical toward others. We need to be on guard against those little foxes of life that would spoil our fruit of joy in all our relationships! We need God’s help to catch those critical foxes that would sidetrack us into dishonoring our spouse or another relationship. It is to one’s honor to overlook an offense (Proverbs 19:11) and love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). Honor does not seize the offense but the foxes that would destroy relationships. Abigail modeled this well, and God rewarded her.

Honor overlooks. Love covers. I pray God helps me walk in this truth, to identify the little foxes in my thought patterns. I can build up a healthy fence when a careless comment is strewn my way by thinking to myself, I choose to not take offense to that careless word, but I build a fence to prevent that foxy comment from worming its way into my thoughts, because it is to my honor to overlook this; I love this person, and love covers over their thoughtless word. I do not seize the offense; I do not fixate on what was spoken. Emerson Eggerich says it well in Lightbulb Moments, “Honor does not seize the offense. Love does not fixate on the sin.”

“It is to one’s honor to overlook an offense.”
~Proverbs 19:11~

“Love covers a multitude of sins.”
~1 Peter 4:8~