Is there, Is there Balm in Gilead?

What is the Balm of Gilead? And what does it have to do with a modern TV series and a recent artifact discovered in the Holy Land?

In Biblical days, balms were how people tended to their wounded and sick in the ancient world.

• “…this balm in scripture is related to the balsam poplar (Commiphora opobalsamum) and is considered a myrrh-like resin/chemical compound found in the Arabian Peninsula, specifically in ancient Palestine east of the Jordan River; it was used for medicine. It is related to a North American poplar species that is used for cough syrups.
• The balm was known to be combined with other ingredients to increase its potency, such as licorice and honey (among other ingredients) for solving chest congestion, to oil or lard for bruising, swelling, or damage to the skin. Inflammation is what the balm of Gilead is used most for, presently, especially for sunburns or arthritis.
• Historians say that Queen Sheba gave a gift of the balm to King Solomon.”  (bibletools.com)
• Shortly after the Israelites came out of Egypt, the balsam oil was among the ingredients used in preparing the incense and anointing oil used at the Tabernacle.
• The word balm is derived from balsam, which originated from the Greek word (pronounced) balsamon, which was adopted to represent the Hebrew words baal shemen, meaning “lord of oils.” These trees are called “boche” in Hebrew, indicating a tree which drips sap when it is cut, also known as a weeping tree
• Back in those days this balm was so scarce that the Jericho gardens yielded only six or seven gallons yearly, which was worth twice its weight in silver.
• Ancient literature frequently referred to it as a restorative, curative, and magical balm essentially in relation to its ability to heal wounds.
• Esther received six months of beauty care with the Balm of Gilead before presenting herself to the king of Persia
• The Balm was then used during the 2^nd temple period to anoint kings.
• There is a claim that the gold given at the birth of Christ is the Balm of Gilead because it was more precious than gold. “This is the diamond of the incense, the diamond of the medical plants.”  This was would be fitting that an oil used to anoint kings was given to the infant Messiah
• Now a modern-day Israeli farmer, Guy Erlich, is reviving that biblical Balm of Gilead, along with Frankincense and Myrrh at his farm in Israel.   Representatives from The Temple Institute have been to visit his farm to consider using his oils in the future 3^rd Temple.

Gilead was an actual place

• Where the prophet Elijah was born
• Where the Ishmaelite traders were from who bought Joseph from his brothers
• Located in modern-day Jordan
• The hill where Jacob faced his adversary Laban and where they made a covenant with one another.
• Where Gideon fought the Midianites
• The Gilead tribal group presumably refers to the half tribe of Manasseh which resided on this side of the Jordan.

The prophet Jeremiah uses this physical place of Gilead and this medicinal balm from Gilead in his weeping over Israel. 

Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people? 

Jeremiah 8:21-22

The prophet’s lament also concerned God’s impending judgement of Judah and Israel as well as God’s discipline against unbelieving nations. 

Jeremiah warns the people that even the balm of Gilead cannot touch the true depth of their illness.

“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.”

Jeremiah 46:11

The balm of Gilead, although real, has a deeper symbolic meaning.   Through Jeremiah, God shows Israel that they had turned to many different temporary healing solutions.   The balm might heal their physical wounds, but it could never touch their spiritual sickness.

The word balm is the word tsori or tseri and is a type of balsam and literally means to crack (as by pressure) to leak, distillation where heat and pressure cause the blood of the plant to pour out.  The root of this word means “run blood, or bleed”.

We know that there are many times that God uses pressure to grow His people:  the imagery of the grapes being crushed to make wine and the olives being put in the olive press to create the oil.  Likewise, this plant from Gilead would have been distilled and then pressed to extract the healing oil used to make the balm.

We can also see the prophetic foreshadowing of Jesus/Yeshua becoming our balm of Gilead, the balm for our souls.  In Bible days, the healing resin of the balm of Gilead had to be forced from the stems and leaves by piercing them, or the resin would leak from an open cutting or wound on the tree. I don’t think anyone needs reminding that Jesus was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities and wounded for our healing.  The Messiah is our Balm of Gilead.

Now consider these happenings of today’s headlines:

The believers are once again faced with Babylon.

Believers are instructed to come out of her.

Babylon was the evil ruling system of Jeremiah’s day and has never been completely destroyed.  In today’s time, Babylon is a figurative city of the end times; concealed and whitewashed as a caring government and healthcare system. 

Jeremiah, the prophet, warned God’s people of Babylon even then:

“Flee out of the midst of Babylon and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of YHVH’s vengeance, he will render unto her a recompense.

Babylon hath been a golden cup in YHVH’s hand, that made all the earth drunken:  the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.

Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed:  howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed.

We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country:  for her judgement reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.

Jeremiah 51:6-9

These scriptures mirror what is happening in Revelation Chapters 17 & 18.

• Babylon refuses to be healed by the true healer. 
• Babylon chooses every type of counterfeit healing that comes along to try and be healed. 
• Babylon refuses the ultimate Balm of Gilead, salvation and trust in the Son of God, and wonders after every remedy man offers.

Finally, consider:  we know that the enemy, Satan, the deceiver, works in counterfeit.  He cannot create:  He can only take what Yahweh has already created and attempt to make a copy, usually twisting it to his plans in the process. 

We are learning every day, that Satan has been counterfeit prophesying through Hollywood for many, many years.  (from the Holly tree wood of which ancient sorcery wands were made)

The most recent counterfeit “prophecy” is tied to this balm of Gilead.

The popular Hulu show called The Handmaid’s Tale has raised many eyebrows with its parallels to the looming totalitarian state we face.  The predictive programming is rampant in this tome of strong delusion.

A short synopsis:  The Handmaid’s Tale is an apocalyptic show set in a dystopian future United States of America.  This America has suffered an unnamed Climate disaster that has left most of the women barren.  The few females that are left unscathed are forced to bear children for the elite.

America, in this novel turned Hollywood production, has been renamed The Republic of Gilead. Colloquially called Gilead.

Ironically, there is a prominent company in America……named….Gilead Sciences.  This company has subsidiaries in 35 countries.  Much of their website is dedicated to their role in Climate change.  They make Tamiflu, many of the HIV drugs and Cancer treatments.  Among other things, they make Remdesivir (In African ebola trials, 53% of test patients died from this “remedy”)(In American covid tests, 30% of the small test group of 53 people had acute liver & kidney failure) If you are not aware of the studies done on this drug, I will gladly send you more info) .  This entire store of this drug was bought up at the beginning of the pandemic under the guidance of Dr. Fauci himself.  (Remember, Fauci means sickle) Ironically (but not surprisingly) America was the only country with access to this Remedy Severe and at the end of 2020 had the highest covid death count of any country. America makes up only 4.5% of the world population yet had 25% of the world’s covid deaths.  In Gilead, there is a Compudoc medical computer that keeps everyone’s identity, credit cards and social credit score, by which the religious right controls citizens.  And of course, the religious right is painted as the big bad authoritarian body.  The people are required to have Identipasses which restrict where they can and cannot go.  I will put the link to all of the Biblical terms twisted and used in the series.

Recall the recent seal found in Jerusalem.  It was found on the road between the mikveh/baptism pool and the temple.  This seal was made of a gorgeous amethyst, engraved with a dove and a branch from the balm of Gilead. 

Amethyst was the color of undiluted wine and believed to prevent drunkenness.  In Greek, the word is amethustos: a combination of the words alpha and methuo.  Alpha being a negative prefix and methuo meaning intoxicated. 

Perhaps we can discover the meaning behind the finding of this seal at this time.  Keep in mind, the word Revelation is the Greek word “apokalupto” and means unveiling, uncovering, revealing. (where we get our word “apocalypse”)

The seals in Revelation are opened: anoigo meaning “open or broken”

The amethyst was one part of a signet seal ring that was broken.  Only the top seal of the ring was discovered.

Amethysts in Hebrew thought prevented intoxication- We are told “be not drunk with the wine of Babylon.”  “Come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her merchants were the great men of the earth;  for by her sorceries (pharmakeia) were all nations deceived.” Rev 18:4, 23

Dove: represents the Holy Spirit-“Don’t be drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery(corruption) but be filled with the Spirit

The Balm of Gilead: putting our trust in the true Balm of Gilead, the only One who can truly heal us.

Other notable facts and thoughts:

• Elijah was from Gilead:  Elijah is a forerunner to Christ.
• The Ishmaelite traders were from Gilead and had the balm with them when they bought Joseph:  Joseph is a type of Christ.
• Some scholars think the gold brought to Jesus was the balm of Gilead, which was used in temple sacrifices and to anoint a king.
• Gilead was the scene of the battle between Gideon and the Midianites…the battle where only those that lapped up the water by bringing their hand to their mouths were chosen to fight, they did not get down on one knee and could be ready in an instant.  God said he wanted only a remnant, or else Israel would have claimed the glory for itself and think they had saved themselves.
• During the famine, when Israel (Jacob) tells his sons to travel back to Joseph, unrecognized by his brothers, bringing the finest in goods, one of those items they brought was the balm of Gilead.
• The balm of Gilead is now commonly used in cough syrups and for respiratory illnesses.
• I find it interesting that this the balm of Gilead is considered to be a type of balsam or fir or pine resin….and pine needle tea has sprung up as a restorative from the current illness ravaging “Gilead”. 
• in Jeremiah (Jeremiah 46:11), God tells the Israelites to get a balm in Gilead, because they’ve wounded themselves beyond repair. 

“Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt:  in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured.” 

Babylon represents the consequences of Israel’s sin, both then and now.  We live in Babylon and are commanded to come out of her.  Babylon is delivering Strong Delusion to the world in the form of this Hollywood version of Gilead. We must learn from the past.  Israel looked to the Egyptians for aid during the siege of the Babylonians (Assyrians).  This was their downfall.  Let us not look to Egypt for aid. 

Let us trust in the one who can save us, Jesus/Yeshua Messiah, and come out from among her, Babylon, and be separate.  

Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people? 

Jeremiah 8:21-22

“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.”

Jeremiah 46:11

As the well-known African-American spiritual said:

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

“Is there–is there balm in Gilead?–Telll me–truly, I implore.” Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Is there healing for those in America and the world? Are there true physicians here that care for this people? If there is true healing available and trained physicians, why then is there no healing for His people? Asking in a physical sense and a spiritual sense.