According to the Bible dictionary, BALM is a healing salve made from the storax (snowdrop) tree; a medicine for which Gilead was famous.
The Balm in Gilead has both physical and spiritual references in the Old Testament. In Genesis 37:25 "balm" is mentioned as one of the medicinal goods carried by the caravan to Egypt from Gilead. Later in Genesis 43:11, Joseph made a gift to Jacob, his father, of "a little balm". Jeremiah refers to the "balm in Gilead" as the means for spiritual healing in Jeremiah 8:22, 46:11 and 51:8. You can almost feel the anguish and pain the prophet was experiencing over the refusal of Judah as a nation to repent and be restored to a right relationship with God.
On a cold, raw winter day, the comfort of lip balm is a welcome relief for dry, chapped lips. In the same way, there is welcome relief to the hurting, sin-filled soul when Jesus comes into your heart. For you see, JESUS is the "Balm in Gilead" referred to in this song. I love the 3rd stanza I found today:
Don't ever feel discouraged, for
Jesus is your friend; And if you
Lack for knowledge, He'll n'er
Refuse to lend.
For those of us that know Jesus as Savior, He is our "Balm in Gilead" when we are discouraged and hurting physically. He is the God of all Comfort and can soothe the breaking heart and hurting soul. As the new year begins, my prayer is that you may feel the soothing balm of Jesus when you need it most.
Blessings, Pamelyn
SOURCES:
The New Combined Bible Dictionary and Concordance
More info on the Storax Tree
