Giants and Foxes

Joshua 11 has a "toss off" comment as it details the conquest of the promised land.
22 There were no Anakim left in the land of the sons of Israel; only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod some remained. 

Then the narrative continues. Without a map and a little background, it might slip right past us. But when we apply history, we see an interesting situation. The Philistines had been around since the days of Abraham. He seemed to have a pretty amiable relationship with them. But when his children returned from Egypt several hundred years later, they were implacable enemies.

Notice where the Anakim, giants, were left as a residual population by Joshua's armies. There were five principle cities of the Philistines. The three mentioned along with Ashkelon and Ekron comprised the bulk of the nation. From before the time of the judge, Samuel they had been active adversaries to Israel. David even sheltered in one of their cities when Saul was chasing him. And to add to the irony, David went to Gath to escape Saul. (1 Samuel 27)

And of course, we all recognize their premier champion, Goliath of Gath. (Told you it was ironic.) So the remnants of Joshua's "oversight" remained around to harass the Israelites for many years afterward. In the same way, a small moral "indiscretion" will assuredly come back later as a giant to block our way.

Song of Solomon 2:15 has a comment that applies here.
"Catch the foxes for us, The little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, While our vineyards are in blossom."

The "little foxes," cute little guys, are very expensive to keep in the vineyard because they can ruin the crop. The little foxes eat the young grapes before they ripen and mature, leaving the vineyard devastated.

Incidentally the destructive potential of foxes is illustrated by Samson in Judges 15. He captured 300 foxes, tied them two by two together by their tails, and released them into the standing grain of the, guess who, Philistines, with torches tied to their tails. Notwithstanding the cruelty of this act, it illustrates how seeming innocuous items can and often do collaborate to cause major destruction.

Be careful with "minor" accounts. Don't let your foxes turn into giants.