The Balm in Gilead
By J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
10/31/2021
“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?” (Jeremiah 8:22)
For the past eighteen months or so, the entire world has been battling a pervasive SARS virus. While the virus is real, overwhelming evidence indicates that it has not caused a pandemic, contrary to the official narrative. The origin of this virus is anything but organic, having been created in a lab as a bioweapon. Moreover, the experimental gene-editing, bio-injections that the government is coercing people to take as an alleged response to this virus are causing more harm than the virus itself, as the government’s own data regarding adverse effects of the COVID vaccine shows.
Yet, the fact remains that a persistent, sometimes dangerous, illness with a variety of flu-like symptoms continues to cause health problems for many people. As I thought about this ongoing problem, I asked myself, “Is there not some simple solution to this respiratory illness?” The answer, as it turns out, is yes. Thousands of doctors and medical professionals are on record suggesting that there are proven, natural treatments to mitigate this virus. In other words, when treated correctly, the virus is not nearly as dangerous as some would have us to think.
Approximately 600 years before Christ, the prophet Jeremiah asked a similar question regarding a spiritual illness that was plaguing the people of his day. Jeremiah mused, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” (Jeremiah 8:22) Gilead is a mountain region east of the Jordan River about 3,000 feet above sea level. It extends some 60 miles from the south end of the Sea of Galilee to the north end of the Dead Sea. It is about 20 miles wide, bounded on the west by the Jordan River and on the east by desert. This lush region receives an annual rainfall of 28 to 32 inches. Consequently, much of it is thickly wooded today, as it was in Jeremiah’s day. Gilead was famous for its aromatic resin used for medical purposes. Hence, “the balm of Gilead.”
Jeremiah used this well-known physical remedy “the balm of Gilead” as a metaphor for the readily available solution to the spiritual sickness plaguing Judah. Jeremiah was referring to God’s Law. “Why are you so sick,” he asks, “when you have a remedy in your midst which can cure your spiritual disease?” The people of Judah needed to return to God’s Word and follow God’s ways if they wanted to see things turn around for their nation.
Surely God must be asking the same question today as He looks down upon America. “Is there no balm in America?” With churches on almost every corner, Bibles filling our bookshelves, Christian books rolling off the presses, radio programs, TV preachers, etc., why have we not been able to cure America’s moral ailment? Indeed, no other nation on earth has access to as much spiritual truth and wisdom as America. Like the Gilead of old, we are a lush region blessed with many biblical resources. There is a balm in our Gilead. The problem is, we are not using it.
The balm of Gilead is a symbol for the truth of God’s Word. God’s Word reveals the solution to mankind’s greatest problem: sin. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) Like Judah in the sixth century BC, our nation needs revival. Every time we look around and think to ourselves, “What is this world coming to?” we are in essence asking, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” The answer is, “Yes, there is. It is called the Bible.” We just need to dust it off and start doing what it says.
10/31/2021
“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?” (Jeremiah 8:22)
For the past eighteen months or so, the entire world has been battling a pervasive SARS virus. While the virus is real, overwhelming evidence indicates that it has not caused a pandemic, contrary to the official narrative. The origin of this virus is anything but organic, having been created in a lab as a bioweapon. Moreover, the experimental gene-editing, bio-injections that the government is coercing people to take as an alleged response to this virus are causing more harm than the virus itself, as the government’s own data regarding adverse effects of the COVID vaccine shows.
Yet, the fact remains that a persistent, sometimes dangerous, illness with a variety of flu-like symptoms continues to cause health problems for many people. As I thought about this ongoing problem, I asked myself, “Is there not some simple solution to this respiratory illness?” The answer, as it turns out, is yes. Thousands of doctors and medical professionals are on record suggesting that there are proven, natural treatments to mitigate this virus. In other words, when treated correctly, the virus is not nearly as dangerous as some would have us to think.
Approximately 600 years before Christ, the prophet Jeremiah asked a similar question regarding a spiritual illness that was plaguing the people of his day. Jeremiah mused, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” (Jeremiah 8:22) Gilead is a mountain region east of the Jordan River about 3,000 feet above sea level. It extends some 60 miles from the south end of the Sea of Galilee to the north end of the Dead Sea. It is about 20 miles wide, bounded on the west by the Jordan River and on the east by desert. This lush region receives an annual rainfall of 28 to 32 inches. Consequently, much of it is thickly wooded today, as it was in Jeremiah’s day. Gilead was famous for its aromatic resin used for medical purposes. Hence, “the balm of Gilead.”
Jeremiah used this well-known physical remedy “the balm of Gilead” as a metaphor for the readily available solution to the spiritual sickness plaguing Judah. Jeremiah was referring to God’s Law. “Why are you so sick,” he asks, “when you have a remedy in your midst which can cure your spiritual disease?” The people of Judah needed to return to God’s Word and follow God’s ways if they wanted to see things turn around for their nation.
Surely God must be asking the same question today as He looks down upon America. “Is there no balm in America?” With churches on almost every corner, Bibles filling our bookshelves, Christian books rolling off the presses, radio programs, TV preachers, etc., why have we not been able to cure America’s moral ailment? Indeed, no other nation on earth has access to as much spiritual truth and wisdom as America. Like the Gilead of old, we are a lush region blessed with many biblical resources. There is a balm in our Gilead. The problem is, we are not using it.
The balm of Gilead is a symbol for the truth of God’s Word. God’s Word reveals the solution to mankind’s greatest problem: sin. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) Like Judah in the sixth century BC, our nation needs revival. Every time we look around and think to ourselves, “What is this world coming to?” we are in essence asking, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” The answer is, “Yes, there is. It is called the Bible.” We just need to dust it off and start doing what it says.
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