THE BALM OF GILEAD

 

JEREMIAH 8:22

Gilead was a city east of Jordan. The meaning of the name is “strong, rocky”.

Israel captured it from the king of Sihon, and Og the king of Bashan, and it was occupied by the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh. It is situated in the modern day Jordan.

It had been a city of great iniquity, stained with blood [Hosea 6:8].

David fled there from Absalom and it was the home of Elijah.

Chapter 8 deals with backsliding Israel and their ignoring of God’s warnings to repent. They followed graven images and strange vanities.

Jeremiah was sent as a prophet to the surviving tribes of Israel and Judah, in a time of political and spiritual decay. They ignore his warnings and are carried away to Babylon. He predicted that the captives would return after 70 years to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple.

In chapter 8 he laments Judah’s breakdown, and asks the pain filled question,

“IS THERE NO BALM IN GILEAD”

In v 21 he says because his people are hurt, he is hurt. He is mourning and astonished. In 9:1, Jeremiah says “Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people”.

Is There No Balm IN GILEAD?

Is There No Physician There?

Is there No Recovery For The Health Of The Daughter Of My People?

Jeremiah is suffering for the state of his people because he loves them. He could see that they were about to go into captivity and could not stop it, and he spoke these words in absolute grief and pain.

The Balm Of Gilead

There was an actual plant in Gilead which was an Arabian balsam tree known as the Terebinth tree, which produced a rare fragrant balm that was used medicinally.

Jeremiah is using this as a metaphor to apply to their spiritual condition. His cry was for a Balm which would heal them.

God’s people were Spiritually sick. They were morally diseased. They provoked God Almighty.

Jeremiah was really saying that there was a Balm, yet the people were not healed. This Balm was THE MERCY OF GOD.

God the Great Physician was always there to apply that Mercy to all who cried out to Him. For us, it is finished work of Jesus on The Cross. Jesus is the BALM OF GILEAD sent by God, and we have Salvation through the beautiful sweet fragrance of His Redeeming Healing Blood.

On The Cross He was the sacrifice for our sin, peace for the troubled mind, and healing for our sickness. But we have to take the Balm of Jesus and apply Him to our circumstances.

Like Jeremiah, we grieve over those who refuse Him and choose rather eternity in hell. There is no escape for all who refuse His Salvation from sin.

Sin has prevailed since Adam sinned against God, and the wages of that sin is separation from God and eternal punishment. Sin affects the soul in the same way that sickness affects the body. It is invasive, deceitful, controlling, and it consigns all who are unsaved to the terror of the “second death”.

But friends, There is a BALM IN GILEAD, and it is the person of Jesus. He is the sweet fragrant balm whose Blood will save the sin sick soul. He knows every person. He knows every need. He knows the horror of hell and wishes that no man would go there, but we all have freedom of choice. If you’re reading this and have never given your life to Jesus, then friend you are lost for eternity. You can accept Him as your Saviour right now and have your sins forgiven by the Grace of God.

The voice of Jeremiah would cry out today, There is a BALM IN GILEAD. There is Forgiveness. There is Mercy. There is Salvation. There is the Cross where Jesus died for the sin of the world. My sin. Your sin.

A person is lost because they simply have not had their spiritual sickness dealt with because they will not take the remedy offered freely by God. The Blood of Jesus cleanses white as snow. If you continually reject Salvation you are already condemned.

Proverbs 29:1 – “The person who continually rejects reproof, hardens the heart, and will suddenly be destroyed without remedy “. A “remedy” is something that removes or corrects an evil of any kind. The remedy for sin is the Blood of Jesus.

A “Remedy” Restores something to its proper condition. It is something that removes or corrects an evil of any kind.

In 2 Kings 8:1 Elisha Restored the dead son to life.

In Psalm 23, David said that The Lord Restores his soul. David experienced the Power of God in his life to turn his circumstances around. God does this today, and it is now through the Power of Jesus and His death on the Cross. He will turn our circumstances around if we believe.

In Jeremiah 30:17,18 God speaks of the Jews deliverance and their privileges Restored. He says “I will Restore health to you and heal your wounds because they had been seen as outcasts. “This is Zion, who no man seeks after”. God will Restore for His Name’s sake. Here, He would not have His Glorious Zion mocked. Zion is now the “Secret Place” of Jesus. God Restored what satan had robbed, and it is now the dwelling place of Jesus.

In Isaiah 58:8-12, it talks of Restoration. So great was this that V12, says that they would be called “The repairer of the breach”, and “The Restorer of paths to dwell in. How great was their calling after God had Restored them. Same for us today friend. When Jesus Saves us we become vessels to bring others to Him.

Jesus is The Healer and The Restorer.

THE BALM OF GILEAD, is a Healing, Restoring balm. JESUS is that BALM.

 

He will bring you to your Rightful existence as a Child of God

He will Re-establish you

He will bring back your Health

He will bring you back to a former place before you strayed

He will give you back all that was taken from you

He will Save you from sin and death

He will Restore the joy of your salvation

He will Restore your paths to dwell in

He will Restore what satan has robbed from you

 

These are just some of the things which are ours through the Cross of Jesus.

In Acts 3:21, we are told that Heaven received Jesus “until the times of Restitution of all things which God spoke by the mouth of His Holy prophets since the world began”. Jesus will rule in the millennium when all things since Adams fall will be restored. There will be peace, harmony, prosperity and perfect governmental control.

 

JESUS is the Balm of Gilead. He is the sweet fragrance of Restoration and Healing.

When Jeremiah posed the question, there was great need. Our world is in chaos, and the same question could be asked today. But we have the answer, and His Name is Jesus. But the world rejects Him, and that’s the main reason for the state of the world today. There is a balm but mankind rejects Jesus and in doing they choose satan.

What about you friend? Do you reject Him? If you die without Jesus as your Saviour, you are headed for eternity in hell.

You can accept Him now. Believe that He is the Son of God, that He died on the Cross for your sin, and that He arose from the dead three days later.

Confess that you are a sinner, repent of your sin, and ask Jesus to come into your heart in Faith. If you do that you will be born again.

 

 

 

 

Jesus Bless you,

Larry Wilson

September 2020