October 9, 2009

are you weeding your garden?

Song of Solomon 2

Stephanie Schweinfurth
Friday's Devo

October 9, 2009

Friday's Devo

October 9, 2009

Central Truth

Beware of the foxes in your marriage! In other words, do not let the little irritations wear down your love for your spouse. It is important in life, but especially in your marriage, to focus on the positive, not the negative.

Key Verse | Song of Solomon 2:15

Catch the foxes for us,
the little foxes,
that ruin the vineyards—
for our vineyard is in bloom.
(Song of Solomon 2:15)

Song of Solomon 2

I am a rose 1 2:1 Probably a bulb, such as a crocus, asphodel, or narcissus of Sharon,
    a lily of the valleys.

He

As a lily among brambles,
    so is my love among the young women.

She

As an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
    so is my beloved among the young men.
With great delight I sat in his shadow,
    and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
He brought me to the banqueting house, 2 2:4 Hebrew the house of wine
    and his banner over me was love.
Sustain me with raisins;
    refresh me with apples,
    for I am sick with love.
His left hand is under my head,
    and his right hand embraces me!
I adjure you, 3 2:7 That is, I put you on oath; so throughout the Song O daughters of Jerusalem,
    by the gazelles or the does of the field,
that you not stir up or awaken love
    until it pleases.

The Bride Adores Her Beloved

The voice of my beloved!
    Behold, he comes,
leaping over the mountains,
    bounding over the hills.
My beloved is like a gazelle
    or a young stag.
Behold, there he stands
    behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
    looking through the lattice.
10  My beloved speaks and says to me:
“Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
    and come away,
11  for behold, the winter is past;
    the rain is over and gone.
12  The flowers appear on the earth,
    the time of singing 4 2:12 Or pruning has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
    is heard in our land.
13  The fig tree ripens its figs,
    and the vines are in blossom;
    they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
    and come away.
14  O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
    in the crannies of the cliff,
let me see your face,
    let me hear your voice,
for your voice is sweet,
    and your face is lovely.
15  Catch the foxes 5 2:15 Or jackals for us,
    the little foxes
that spoil the vineyards,
    for our vineyards are in blossom.”

16  My beloved is mine, and I am his;
    he grazes 6 2:16 Or he pastures his flock among the lilies.
17  Until the day breathes
    and the shadows flee,
turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle
    or a young stag on cleft mountains. 7 2:17 Or mountains of Bether

Footnotes

[1] 2:1 Probably a bulb, such as a crocus, asphodel, or narcissus
[2] 2:4 Hebrew the house of wine
[3] 2:7 That is, I put you on oath; so throughout the Song
[4] 2:12 Or pruning
[5] 2:15 Or jackals
[6] 2:16 Or he pastures his flock
[7] 2:17 Or mountains of Bether

Dive Deeper | Song of Solomon 2

I know you can relate . . . the dirty dishes he leaves in the sink, the way she moves your stuff so you can't find it. If you've been married even a day (okay, maybe a month), you know what I'm talking about—those little irritations that start wearing on you and causing you to criticize and judge your spouse. 

In Song of Solomon 2:15, the writer refers to these irritations as foxes. The writer knows what he's talking about because he's telling us to catch them before they ruin your relationship. Marriage is a lifelong covenant made before God. God takes our marriages very seriously, and He wants us to take marriage seriously as well. This means we have lots of work to do. 

Part of that work is catching the foxes or, maybe more relevant to today, weeding your garden. If I do not weed the crabgrass in my backyard, it spreads quickly and takes over my pretty grass. The same is true with your criticisms and irritations with your spouse. It starts small, but after time if you dwell on the negative, it starts to deteriorate your relationship.

Take those negative thoughts captive and give them to the Lord. Let Him replace them with thoughts of love and ask Him to remind you of all the good in your spouse. Tell your spouse "I love you" often and find reasons to say thank you and to be complimentary. 

In love and life we all would be better off if we let the small stuff go, took out the weeds or negative thoughts, and spent more of our time focused on the blessings. Go on, get rid of those foxes, and give your spouse a big hug. 

Discussion Questions

1. Be honest about how you are addressing the foxes in your marriage. Are you harboring feelings of irritation?

2. Pray for the Lord to remove those irritations and help you see more clearly the positives in your spouse and make sure you are showing your love for your spouse daily.

3. Look inward. Are you diligent in being the spouse God called you to be?  

4.  Ask the Lord to show you how to be more aware of your own foxes, not just your spouses?