A balm is an aromatic, medicinal substance derived from plants. Gilead was an area east of the Jordan River, well known for its spices and ointments. The balm of Gilead was a high-quality ointment with healing properties made from the resin taken from a flowering plant. There are three specific references to the “balm of Gilead” in Scripture.

In Genesis 37:25, we read of the caravan of Ishmaelites who had balm from Gilead in their cargo. Here in Jeremiah 8, we read of God warning Judah of what Babylon would do to them, and upon hearing this news Jeremiah laments, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” His question is a poetic search for hope and healing. Then in Jeremiah 46:11, as God describes the impending judgment on Egypt, He says, “Go up to Gilead and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt; in vain you will use many medicines; you shall not be cured.” In both of these verses in Jeremiah, the prophet describes the hurt and hopelessness of the people of God and of the world. There is no balm and no physician to calm and sooth the pain and hurt! The Lord Jesus Christ is truly “the balm of Gilead” for hurting people. He is able to make them whole!

The question in our verse today is a rhetorical question, but we can ask why have people not come for healing? Why are there so many hurting saints today? Why doesn’t the world come to the Great Physician and be healed. Perhaps many do not realize their sickness, just as those in Corinth, where there was a low spiritual state. They needed spiritual examination, which Paul gives in his two epistles and then tells them to examine themselves. If there is hurt and pain in your life, recognize your need and come to Christ for healing, for there is a balm in Gilead for your healing today!