Jeremiah 8:4-22, No Balm in Gilead

Balm of Gilead is a medicinal perfume that was produced in the region near the Sea of Galilee. Jeremiah is grieving that there is no balm of Gilead to heal the wounds of his people, no physician who can cure them. There is a wonderful spiritual, There Is a Balm in Gilead, which says there is a balm in Gilead, Jesus from Galilee, who can heal the sin sick soul. Yes, Yahweh is Israel’s balm, but she won’t turn to Him.

⁴ “Say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh says:

“‘When people fall down, do they not get up? When someone turns away, do they not return? ⁵ Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return. ⁶ I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. None of them repent of their wickedness, saying, “What have I done?” Each pursues their own course like a horse charging into battle.

⁷ Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of Yahweh. ⁸ “‘How can you say, “We are wise, for we have the law of Yahweh,” when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?

⁹ The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of Yahweh, what kind of wisdom do they have? ¹⁰ Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. ¹¹ They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. “Peace, peace,” they say, when there is no peace. ¹² Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when they are punished, says Yahweh. ¹³ “‘I will take away their harvest, declares Yahweh. There will be no grapes on the vine. There will be no figs on the tree, and their leaves will wither. What I have given them will be taken from them.’”

¹⁴ Why are we sitting here? Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities and perish there! For Yahweh our God has doomed us to perish and given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against him. ¹⁵ We hoped for peace but no good has come, for a time of healing but there is only terror. ¹⁶ The snorting of the enemy’s horses is heard from Dan; at the neighing of their stallions the whole land trembles. They have come to devour the land and everything in it, the city and all who live there. ¹⁷ “See, I will send venomous snakes among you, vipers that cannot be charmed, and they will bite you,” declares Yahweh.

¹⁸ You who are my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me. ¹⁹ Listen to the cry of my people from a land far away: “Is Yahweh not in Zion? Is her King no longer there?” “Why have they aroused my anger with their images, with their worthless foreign idols?” ²⁰ “The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved.” ²¹ Since my people are crushed, I am crushed; I mourn, and horror grips me. ²² Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people? (Jeremiah 8:4-22)

What is the first thing you do when you fall down? Well, if you’re able, you get back up. But Israel refuses to get back up. They refuse to ask themselves, “What have we done to anger Yahweh?,” and God has listened hard to hear it. The scholars in the Law act like they share its wisdom, but they handle it inaccurately, and certainly don’t obey it. So, in basically a repetition of his prophecy in chapter 6, Yahweh pledges an invasion that will wipe out Judah’s people and productivity.

Jeremiah depicts this invaded people as urging one another to flee to the fortified cities, running in abject terror at the poisonous water, war horses, and deadly vipers heading their way. Jeremiah, and really Yahweh also, are hurting at the cries of their people’s suffering. It may sound strange to think of God mourning and feeling the horror of His people’s destruction, but it is perfectly in line with His deep love for Israel. God desires healing for His people but they are too far gone.

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Discussion Questions:

1. What are possible reasons why a person who falls might not get back up?
2. What examples can you think of where people who are committed to Scripture nevertheless have totally distorted its meaning?
3. What are some current parallels to Israel being too far gone in their rebellion against Yahweh to be healed?
4. How did you experience Jesus’, the Balm of Gilead’s, healing in your life?