Is there no balm in Gilead?

The heart of the Prophet Jeremiah is broken as he watches the condition of the people of Judah. We read about his anguish in Jeremiah 8:18-22. The promised land, the land for which the LORD God cared, was turning away from their God! Historically, after King Josiah, King of Judah died at the hands of Pharaoh Necho, King of Egypt, the land of Judah lost its freedom. They become a vassal of Egypt. At this moment of crisis, Judah did not turn to their Lord God but to the idols of the people around them! This not only broke the heart of God, but it also broke the heart of His Prophet!

We see the condition of the people and the land in the verses mentioned above. Even after the summer harvest, there was not much grain. The people were serving a foreign king. This discouraging situation made the Prophet cry out, “Is there no balm in Gilead, is there no physician there? Why then is there no recovery for the health of the daughter of my people?”

The question really was, why were the people not turning from their wicked ways to the One who can restore and transform the situation even though the people knew what was expected of them. Judah was suffering because of their choices. But even then, there was hope, if ONLY they would turn to their God. The ‘Balm of Gilead’ was still available for them. But the people did not choose to turn from their wicked ways. Even today, the question remains the same!

The song, “There is a balm in Gilead" is a traditional United States African American spiritual which goes as follows:

There is a balm in Gilead To make the wounded whole.
There is a balm in Gilead To heal the sin-sick soul.

My friend, the good news for us today is that there is still hope for us. The ‘balm of Gilead’ is still available at the Cross of Calvary for every repentant soul. Then the question facing us today is, do we choose to be healed?

Categories: Weekly DevotionalsAuthor: Hephzibah StephenDate: 30th January 2018 Share: newsletterDisplay date: 31st January 2018

---