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FRUIT OF OUR LABOR


Leviticus 2:11-16

2:11 “‘No meal offering which you shall offer to Yahweh shall be made with yeast; for you shall burn no yeast, nor any honey, as an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
12 As an offering of first fruits you shall offer them to Yahweh, but they shall not rise up as a pleasant aroma on the altar.
13 Every offering of your meal offering you shall season with salt. You shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your meal offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.
14 “‘If you offer a meal offering of first fruits to Yahweh, you shall offer for the meal offering of your first fruits fresh heads of grain parched with fire, crushed new grain.
15 You shall put oil on it and lay frankincense on it. It is a meal offering.
16 The priest shall burn as its memorial part of its crushed grain and part of its oil, along with all its frankincense. It is an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
Romans 1:13-15

1:13 Now I don’t desire to have you unaware, brothers, that I often planned to come to you, and was hindered so far, that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.
14 I am debtor both to Greeks and to foreigners, both to the wise and to the foolish.
15 So as much as is in me, I am eager to preach the Good News to you also who are in Rome.

Translations
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Commentary
This is the first mention of "fruit" in both Leviticus and Romans (echo 1). Neither book will use "fruit" again for many chapters (Rom. Ch 6) (Lev. Ch. 19).
Translations
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Hebrew:

LXX:

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Commentary
When the harvest comes in and the fresh heads of grain are gathered, a farmer who has purposed to bring a firstfruits offering has a period between the decision and its presentation. During this interim, the farmer may be considered indebted to the priests who will benefit from it. In the same way, Paul, having received revelation about God’s salvation to the Gentiles, considers himself indebted to both Greeks and foreigners until he has offered that gift to them (echo 2).
Translations
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Hebrew:

LXX:

Greek:
Commentary
Salt, being a preservative, represents the eternity and faithfulness of God’s covenant, which Paul is eager to proclaim to the Gentiles, that through Jesus Christ they may enter that covenant (echo 3).
Translations
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Hebrew:

LXX:

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Commentary
TJCs teach that the elements of crushed grain, oil, and frankincense represent physical, emotional, and spiritual wholeness. This is precisely the Good News Paul brings: not only a message of eternal life, but a transformed, whole, and healed life on earth (echo 4).