The Fruit of the Land – Part 3, Wheat and Barley

[Study Aired October 18, 2026]

The words ‘fruit of the land’ in scripture are as much a part of the “hidden wisdom” of which Paul speaks as any other words of scripture:

1Co 2:7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery [G3466: ‘musterion’, a secret], even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

‘The fruit of the land’ signifies our works which we owe our Savior and His Father. ‘The fruit of the land’ signifies us working out of own salvation with fear and trembling:

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

There it is, working out our own salvation with fear and trembling is a Biblical doctrine. For many years I quoted that verse as proof that God had given mankind the gift of free will. That was what I had been taught and I could not conceive of a God who would ‘create evil’ (Isa 45:7), ‘make me to err from His ways’, and ‘harden my heart from His fear’ (Isa 63:17), and then make me give Him an accounting  of everything He had caused me to do. Then one day a brother pointed out what the very next verse of Philippians 2 says. Verse 12 commands us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, then that commandment is qualified with these words:

Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Verse 12 signifies our works as ‘the fruit of [our] land’ which we offer to the Lord. Verse 13 reminds us that our works are actually “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them”.

The words ‘fruit of the land’ in scripture are part of the Cloud at the Red Sea which has both a dark side and a bright side. That Cloud is Christ and Christ is The Word of God. Christ Himself spoke of “evil fruit”:

Mat 7:16  Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Mat 7:17  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Mat 7:18  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Mat 7:19  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Mat 7:20  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

The apostle Paul contrasts “the evil fruits [of] a corrupt tree” with “the fruit of the spirit.”

Gal 5:19  Now the works [fruit] of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Gal 5:20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Gal 5:21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24  And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

The fruit of the flesh includes “seditions [and] heresies.” Heresies are the false doctrines brought to us by the false prophets Christ warned us of in:

Mat 7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Mat 7:16  Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Mat 7:17  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

False doctrines will always produce the works of the flesh simply because “a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit.”

The ‘land’ promised to us is a land which is blessed by the Lord beyond the ability of our flesh to properly appreciate. It is only through the spirit of Christ within that we can begin to appreciate this blessing and bring to the Lord “the sacrifice of thanksgiving” (Psa 107:22) for all these blessings of the fruit of the land the Lord has given us, and when we offer it to Him we must be sure to acknowledge that we are giving to Him of what He has already given to us:

1Ch 29:12  Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.
1Ch 29:13  Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.
1Ch 29:14  But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.
1Ch 29:15  For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.
1Ch 29:16  O LORD our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own.

‘The land we have been given by the Lord signifies our physical bodies, and we are not our own; we are “bought with a price”:

1Co 6:19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
1Co 6:20  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Jacob is offering the best of the fruit of the land to “the man”, not knowing that ‘the man’ is His own son, Joseph, whom the Lord had made the ruler of all Egypt. These are the first six fruits of the land we have already examined to see what happened to Jacob and his sons “for our admonition” (1Co 10:11).

Gen 43:11  And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:

Hundreds of years later, Moses leads Israel out of Egypt and sends twelve men to spy out the land. It is at this time we are given six more ‘fruits of the land.’

Deu 8:6  Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.
Deu 8:7  For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;
Deu 8:8  A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;

Wheat

The first of these last six fruits of the land, is ‘wheat.’ I’m not including ‘honey’ because we have already examined ‘honey’ in Jacob’s gift to ‘the man’ whom he later learned was his son, Joseph.

What does ‘wheat’ signify that we owe the Lord? What does wheat signify in scripture? Two verses reveal what this particular ‘fruit’ signifies. Applying the principle of… “the things that are made” to reveal to us “the invisible things of God” (Rom 1:20), here are verses which reveal the spiritual significance of ‘wheat.’

Joh 6:35  And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

‘Bread’ is made from finely ground wheat flour. Christ was crushed by His Father to become “the bread of  life” for us (Isa 53:10).

Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
Joh 12:25  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

We, with Christ, are this “corn of wheat.” Wheat is the fruit of the land which the Lord uses to reveal to us “the secret of His will” and His intention to gather all things in heaven and in earth together under Christ “in the fulness of time”:

Eph 1:9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Eph 1:10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

The death of ‘a corn of wheat’ signifies the death of our old man, and the words ‘much fruit’ signify the reward promised to us as overcomers of our own flesh and how we are to become saviors who will judge the rest of mankind.

Isa 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised [H1792: ‘daka’, “to crush”] for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isa 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise [H1792: ‘daka’, “to crush”] him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed [“bring forth much fruit”], he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isa 53:11  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

Oba 1:21  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.

Christ is our “meat offering” which consisted of wheat which has been “finely ground.”

When we are “finely ground” the Lord Himself will “see the travail of [our] soul, and shall be satisfied.”

The meat offering (also known as the grain or meal offering) described in Leviticus 2 was required to be made of “fine [H5560: ‘coleth’, fine] flour. The Hebrew word ‘coleth’, pronounced as ‘soleth’, refers to grain that had been beaten, crushed, and sifted into a powder-like consistency, free from husks, lumps, or coarseness. This meticulous grinding process symbolizes the trials the Lord places upon us to purify our heavens. ‘Finely ground flour signifies the fruit of human labor, owed to our heavenly Father and paid to Him by Christ and His Christ who are “dying daily” (1Co 15:31), being “crucified with Christ” (Gal 2:20), and “offering [our] bodies as a living sacrifice” daily (Rom 12:2).

As our gift to the Lord of the “fine flour” of “the fruit of the land” we are further prepared for His service by being mixed with olive oil and frankincense.

We are also commanded to be unleavened and seasoned with salt:

Lev 2:1  And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:
Lev 2:2  And he shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD:
Lev 2:3  And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’: it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.
Lev 2:4  And if thou bring an oblation of a meat offering baken in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.

Lev 2:11  No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven [except the two leavened loaves on the day of Pentecost. They are not burned but they are ‘waved before the Lord’: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire.

Lev 23:17  Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.

Lev 2:13  And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.
Lev 2:14  And if thou offer a meat offering of thy firstfruits unto the LORD, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, even corn beaten out of full ears.
Lev 2:15  And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon: it is a meat offering.

The fact that our offering of ‘finely ground flour’ is “the firstfruits unto the Lord” (Lev 23:17) is another part of the spiritual significance of the wheat harvest as one of the fruits of the land. The wheat harvest is called “the feast of firstfruits” because it signifies those “who first trusted in Christ” (Eph 1:12), and who will be rewarded by being given to have a part in that blessed and holy first resurrection:

Exo 23:14  Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year.
Exo 23:15  Thou shalt keep 1) the feast of unleavened bread: [The barley harvest, fifty days prior to Pentecost, also called “the feast of firstfruits, the summer wheat harvest] (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty)
Exo 23:16  And 2) the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and 3) the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.

Eph 1:9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Eph 1:10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

That is the spiritual significance of the wheat which we bring to the Lord as a meal offering of “the fruit of [our] land.”

Barley

The next ‘fruit of the land’ which we bring to our Lord is ‘barley’. Barley and almonds have one thing in common inasmuch as both are the very first of the firstfruits, and bring forth their fruit much earlier than the wheat or any other fruits.

Barley is the fruit of the land which signifies Christ as the first of the firstfruits. Exodus 9 tells us the barley harvest precedes the wheat harvest:

Exo 9:31  And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled.
Exo 9:32  But the wheat and the tie were not smitten: for they were not grown up.

‘Pente’ is the Greek word for ‘fifty’, and the feast of Pentecost is so named because it comes fifty days after the priest waves the wave sheaf of the barley harvest immediately after the Passover. Thus ‘barley’ signifies the first of the firstfruits, which is what Christ Himself is.

Col 1:17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Col 1:18  And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Col 1:19  For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

In Christ we also become “the firstborn among many.”

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Rom 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he [who is being “conformed to the image of His Son”] might be the firstborn among many brethren.

James was well aware of this special placement and informs us that:

Jas 1:18  Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

The fact that we are “the firstborn among many” is why Paul calls us “the church of the firstborn.”

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

These words are the holy spirit making us aware of the magnitude of our calling and of the blessing of being “the first to trust in Christ” and to “have part in the… blessed and holy… first resurrection” which places us as “kings and priests” who will “reign with Christ for a thousand years, after which we will show mercy to “the rest of the dead” who were not part of that ‘blessed and holy first resurrection.’

Eph 1:8  Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Eph 1:9  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Eph 1:10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

It is the book of Revelation which is so explicit in declaring the special blessings which are given only to the overcomers of this dispensation:

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Rev 2:28  And I will give him the morning star.
Rev 2:29  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Here is a little more of “what the spirit says to the churches”:

Rev 20:1  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Paul tells us in Romans 11 that these blessing come upon us only through the unbelief and the blindness the Lord has placed upon the multitudes of humanity from Adam until the great white throne judgment:

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:

Then He tells us the reason why the Lord has spread His mercy upon us in this dispensation:

Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

It is through the Lord’s goodness and His mercy that He has dragged us to repentance in this dispensation:

Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

We are blessed above all men to know that “the goodness of God which [drags] us to repentance” is revealed in Psalms 107 as the stormy trials of this life which bring us “to our wits’ end.”

Psa 107:21  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness [“that leads us to repentance”, (Rom 2:4)], and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Psa 107:22  And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.
Psa 107:23  They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters;
Psa 107:24  These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep.
Psa 107:25  For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26  They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28  Then [and only ‘then’] they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29  He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Psa 107:31  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness [“That leads us to repentance”, (Rom 2:4)], and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Our calling is the greatest honor that can be given to any man in any age. The understanding of the Lord’s plan for every human who has ever lived that has been given to us can and does cause us to become puffed up at the beginning of our calling, and just like immature 17 year-old Joseph, we want to tell it to our brothers, and we can’t understand why they ‘hate us and cannot speak peaceably to us.’

Gen 37:4  And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
Gen 37:5  And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
Gen 37:6  And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
Gen 37:7  For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
Gen 37:8  And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.
Gen 37:9  And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
Gen 37:10  And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?

They did come and bow down to Joseph, but it  was only after 13 humbling years of severe trials in the house of Potiphar and in the dungeons of Egypt. When in that prison Joseph was no doubt “at his wits’ end”, being tempted to doubt the promises of being made a ruler over his apostate brothers.

The apostle Paul suffered this same struggle against his flesh wanting to glory in the revelations the Lord had given him:

2Co 12:7  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
2Co 12:8  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2Co 12:10  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

I will conclude this study with a somber warning given to all who are granted our awesome calling:

Rom 11:19  Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
Rom 11:20  Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
Rom 11:21  For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
Rom 11:22  Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

This is the same chapter which just a few verses later tells us that our calling is only “through their unbelief”:

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

May the Lord grant us to bring to Him a gift of the fruits of our labors, and yet keep us humble enough to know that anything we bring to Him is upon our recognition of a burnt offering first being offered to give us favor in His presence.

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. [Bring to the Lord a gift of “the best fruits in the land”, (Gen 43:11)]
Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. [Acknowledging the need for a burnt offering upon which to offer our own works for our salvation]