The prophet Jeremiah (6th Century BCE) had a difficult duty.
The nation of Judah was divided and corrupt. He was called to warn the people to change their immoral ways or face the consequences. This was an impossible task to a people who would not listen.
Jeremiah warned the King and everyone on down the penalty of their unfaithfulness. They would be conquered and exiled to a foreign land. He suffered for his obedience to God in the face of the people’s disobedience.
Was all lost? Concerned for his people the prophet asked the questions; “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of my poor people not been restored?”(Jeremiah 8:22).
It seemed hopeless, yet all was not lost.
The balm in Gilead was a medicine made from the resin of a tree. Many believed in had miraculous healing properties. It came from the area of Gilead, a mountainous area east of the Jordan river and was very valuable and sought after.
The traders on their way to Egypt who bought Joseph were transporting this balm. It was out of reach for most people to afford, but offered relief and healing to those who could.
Is there a balm that can restore the health of an afflicted nation?
Many centuries later – a people enslaved in a foreign land – the African-Americans turned Jeremiah’s words in to a spiritual song. They saw the balm in Gilead as a universal cure for despair and discouragement.
The first stanza goes:
There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul
The African-American theologian Howard Thurman noted with this spiritual the slave,“Straightened the question mark in Jeremiah’s sentence into an exclamation point: ‘There is a balm in Gilead!’”
With its words of confidence and hope, the spiritual has become a popular and beloved song in the church and is in most American hymnals.
There are various variations of the song. My favorite stanza goes:
Don’t ever feel discouraged, for Jesus is your friend,
Who, if you ask for knowledge, will never fail to lend.
But many like the stanza:
If you cannot sing like Peter, If you cannot preach like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus, and say, “He died for all.”
Amen!
Where do we get this miraculous balm that can heal the wounded soul, the nation, the world?
Matthew Henry wrote, “The blood of Christ is balm in Gilead.”
The Rev. John Wesley wrote, “Is it not the balm, the outward means, which the great Physician has given to men, to restore their spiritual health?”
To revisit the prophets’ question, “Is there a balm in Gilead?” Is there a balm that can help our country and the world during this deadly period of history? Yes, we can come together, work together and change the question mark to an exclamation mark.
There is a balm in Gilead!
Eric Reece is the faith columnist for The Graham Star. He is the pastor of Robbinsville United Methodist Church.