The Balm Comes to Gilead

Jeremiah 8:18-22

In the 32nd chapter of Numbers, the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh, chose to take for their inheritance the land on the wilderness side of the Jordan, while God has promised the land on the other side to all 12 tribes. These tribes represent world-bordering Christians; not lost, but certainly not free.

The land that they take encompasses the land of Gilead (Numbers 32:1), which was known the world over for its balm. The balm was a turpentine-like resin that secreted from a tree grown only in Gilead. The resin held medicinal purposes and was worth twice its weight in silver. You recall that Joseph was sold into slavery in Genesis 37, and that it was traders from Gilead who bought him. They were no doubt carrying this balm to sell to the merchants in Egypt.

Jeremiah is speaking of the oppressive nations just outside of Israel, and of the spiritual sickness that prevails in the land. “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” speaks of the fact that no neighboring ally has come to the aid of Israel, and since armies cannot march in the winter and the summer is past, that means that no one is coming.

In this sorry state, he asks about the balm of Gilead. No physical balm can cure the ills of Israel, and no physician can take away her pain. It is going to take a medicine of a spiritual nature, and the hand of a Great Physician to eliminate Israel’s problems. Thank God that Physician was coming!

When Jesus journeys across the Sea of Galilee in Mark 5, He stops in the land of the Gadarenes. This land is home to the descendants of the tribe of Gad, who had co-inhabited with the Gentiles of the land of Gilead for centuries. The resultant peoples were idol worshippers, who sacrificed pigs to their many gods. A man lives there who has been dwelling in the grave yards, cutting himself, possessed with many demons. It is for this man that Jesus has arrived.

You know the story, how Christ delivers the man, and casts the demons into the swine. These pigs run into the sea and drown, destroying the entire sacrificial flock of the Gadarenes. One man is excited to be free while a nation is outraged at Jesus. The balm has finally arrived in Gilead, healing one, and causing a burning sensation in those who reject its powers.

Jesus is the balm of Gilead and He is ready to mend your sin-sick soul. If you do not know Him, all that you must do is believe Him as your savior and He will enter your heart, pouring His balm into the areas that need healing. If you are a child of God, the Great Physician is living in you, ready to bring His health and wholeness into every area of your life. Allow Him to mend your mind, your emotions, your hopes and your body. You are His child, even if you are bordering close to the world. He loves you and wants to bring His power into your life.

Go in the power of the balm today. Freely Christ gives His power. Freely you can receive.

Will You Be Made Whole?

John 5:1-9

Only the Apostle John shares with us the story of the man who was waiting for the moving of the water. Near the sheep market, where people would purchase a lamb for sacrifice before going into the temple, was an open-air infirmary. Many of the sick and paralyzed from Jerusalem had taken up permanent residence there, for there was a legend in Israel that an angel would come and stir the waters, healing whoever jumped in first. This is a picture of the law, which rewards the strong over the weak, and guarantees healing to those who can help themselves.

The place is called Bethesda, which means “house of mercy” in Hebrew (John 5:2), and when Jesus walks in, it truly lives up to its name. He goes directly to a “certain man” which indicates that Jesus came looking for him (5:5). This man has had an infirmity for 38 years, and is unable to get himself to the pool when the angel stirs the water. He has trusted in his strength for healing for 38 long years and has never been able to get to the angel, but on this particular day, the Angel has come to him! Law demands that you get on your feet and do your best, while grace and truth come walking towards you.

Jesus poses a crucial question to the man, “Wilt thou be made whole?” (John 5:6) This is an interesting thing to ask someone who has been sick for 38 years, but it shows us an important thing about the human condition. Some people have grown accustomed to what they are and who they are. They think that the bad things that are happening to them are just their “lot in life”, and they are no longer truly looking for victory or for good things to happen. The question is not just for the lame man, but for all of us. Do we really want to be made whole? Are we defined by our down-days and our discouragements? Are we using our failures and our problems as a crutch?

The shocking thing about the story is that the man does not scream, “YES!” when he is asked if he wishes to be healed. His answer is, “Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steps down before me” (John 5:7). Our heart is so tuned to works and performance that when asked if he wants to be healed he begins to give reasons as to why he hasn’t already earned it. Jesus is there to do a great work of grace and mercy and he is leaning on his inability to get into the pool.

Jesus tells him to do the impossible when He says, “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk” (John 5:8). If the man says, “Sir, I cannot rise because I cannot walk” then healing would have passed him by. Instead, he must believe that what Jesus is saying is true because, “immediately the man was made whole” (John 5:9).

Do you wish to be whole of everything that ails you? Rise, take up your bed and walk. This act of faith is still relevant for us today as we trust that the healer is in the house. He loves you and He has paid a great price for your healing in both body and soul.

The Marvel of Jesus

Luke 7:1-10

Yesterday, we looked at Jesus’ statement to His disciples concerning their lack of faith during the storm. We also contrasted that faith with the faith of the centurion who requested that Jesus simply, “speak the word” so that his servant may be healed. Jesus called this “great faith”, for the man, though a Gentile believed that he could take as much as he needed from Jesus.

This also marks one of only two incidents that are recorded in the Gospels in which Jesus marveled. When the centurion proclaimed that he believed that Jesus had authority over sickness and could simply speak the word, “he marveled at him” (Luke 7:9). Seeing that there were not many things that caused the Creator to marvel, it is worth noting what those two things were.

The other incident occurs in Mark 6 when Jesus is in His home town of Nazareth, and the crowd becomes offended because of Him, knowing both His family and His occupation. They do not see how the son of Mary and Joseph, who has made His living as a carpenter, can consider Himself a prophet. Jesus, “could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them” (Mark 6:5). Their unbelief caused Jesus to marvel (verse 6).

These incidents show us that Jesus marveled at rank unbelief and at great faith. In both cases, Jesus was fascinated by man’s capacity to believe Him. In one instance, Israelites would not believe even if confronted with miracles of healing. In another case, a Gentile could not help but believe, even trusting the spoken word of Jesus to bring about a miracle.

The marvel of Jesus towards unbelief was aimed at Jews, who claimed to be of Abraham, the “father of the faith”. This marvel shows up again when He speaks of the great faith of the centurion, telling the Jewish crowd that was assembled that He had not found that kind of faith in all of Israel. He is not speaking geographically, but rather spiritually. In all of His dealings with Jews, Jesus had yet to see one who believed Him so completely.

Perhaps the reason for this is found in how we qualify or disqualify ourselves for God’s blessings. The Jew would have been a slave to the Mosaic Law, and would have considered themselves guilty and condemned on a day to day basis. The fact that they knew that they could not keep the law would have disqualified them in their own mind from receiving any good thing, such as healings or miracles. When you think that you are guilty, you do not feel worthy of any of God’s goodness.

The centurion on the other hand is a Gentile, with no Jewish background, thus he is not living under perpetual guilt by the weight of the law. When he requests a miracle from Jesus, Christ marvels at the amount of faith that he displays, trusting that Christ can do whatever He wishes. Without the condemnation of law-breaking, this centurion can see past his own works or lack thereof and look directly at Christ’s ability, thus his faith is “great faith”.

Does Christ marvel at your unbelief or your belief? If you feel that you are unworthy or unqualified for His goodness and blessings, then He marvels at your holding onto your condemnation. But if you believe Him for great things, He will marvel that you are walking so free from the cares of this life. He is marveled with us today, so may we marvel Him with our faith!

The Balm Comes to Gilead

Jeremiah 8:18-22

In the 32nd chapter of Numbers, the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh, chose to take for their inheritance the land on the wilderness side of the Jordan, while God has promised the land on the other side to all 12 tribes. These tribes represent world-bordering Christians; not lost, but certainly not free.

The land that they take encompasses the land of Gilead (Numbers 32:1), which was known the world over for its balm. The balm was a turpentine-like resin that secreted from a tree grown only in Gilead. The resin held medicinal purposes and was worth twice its weight in silver. You recall that Joseph was sold into slavery in Genesis 37, and that it was traders from Gilead who bought him. They were no doubt carrying this balm to sell to the merchants in Egypt.

Jeremiah is speaking of the oppressive nations just outside of Israel, and of the spiritual sickness that prevails in the land. “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” speaks of the fact that no neighboring ally has come to the aid of Israel, and since armies cannot march in the winter and the summer is past, that means that no one is coming.

In this sorry state, he asks about the balm of Gilead. No physical balm can cure the ills of Israel, and no physician can take away her pain. It is going to take a medicine of a spiritual nature, and the hand of a Great Physician to eliminate Israel’s problems. Thank God that Physician was coming!

When Jesus journeys across the Sea of Galilee in Mark 5, He stops in the land of the Gadarenes. This land is home to the descendants of the tribe of Gad, who had co-inhabited with the Gentiles of the land of Gilead for centuries. The resultant peoples were idol worshippers, who sacrificed pigs to their many gods. A man lives there who has been dwelling in the grave yards, cutting himself, possessed with many demons. It is for this man that Jesus has arrived.

You know the story, how Christ delivers the man, and casts the demons into the swine. These pigs run into the sea and drown, destroying the entire sacrificial flock of the Gadarenes. One man is excited to be free while a nation is outraged at Jesus. The balm has finally arrived in Gilead, healing one, and causing a burning sensation in those who reject its powers.

Jesus is the balm of Gilead and He is ready to mend your sin-sick soul. If you do not know Him, all that you must do is believe Him as your savior and He will enter your heart, pouring His balm into the areas that need healing. If you are a child of God, the Great Physician is living in you, ready to bring His health and wholeness into every area of your life. Allow Him to mend your mind, your emotions, your hopes and your body. You are His child, even if you are bordering close to the world. He loves you and wants to bring His power into your life.

Go in the power of the balm today. Freely Christ gives His power. Freely you can receive.

Will You Be Made Whole?

John 5:1-9

Only the Apostle John shares with us the story of the man who was waiting for the moving of the water. Near the sheep market, where people would purchase a lamb for sacrifice before going into the temple, was an open-air infirmary. Many of the sick and paralyzed from Jerusalem had taken up permanent residence there, for there was a legend in Israel that an angel would come and stir the waters, healing whoever jumped in first. This is a picture of the law, which rewards the strong over the weak, and guarantees healing to those who can help themselves.

The place is called Bethesda, which means “house of mercy” in Hebrew (John 5:2), and when Jesus walks in, it truly lives up to its name. He goes directly to a “certain man” which indicates that Jesus came looking for him (5:5). This man has had an infirmity for 38 years, and is unable to get himself to the pool when the angel stirs the water. He has trusted in his strength for healing for 38 long years and has never been able to get to the angel, but on this particular day, the Angel has come to him! Law demands that you get on your feet and do your best, while grace and truth come walking towards you.

Jesus poses a crucial question to the man, “Wilt thou be made whole?” (John 5:6) This is an interesting thing to ask someone who has been sick for 38 years, but it shows us an important thing about the human condition. Some people have grown accustomed to what they are and who they are. They think that the bad things that are happening to them are just their “lot in life”, and they are no longer truly looking for victory or for good things to happen. The question is not just for the lame man, but for all of us. Do we really want to be made whole? Are we defined by our down-days and our discouragements? Are we using our failures and our problems as a crutch?

The shocking thing about the story is that the man does not scream, “YES!” when he is asked if he wishes to be healed. His answer is, “Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steps down before me” (John 5:7). Our heart is so tuned to works and performance that when asked if he wants to be healed he begins to give reasons as to why he hasn’t already earned it. Jesus is there to do a great work of grace and mercy and he is leaning on his inability to get into the pool.

Jesus tells him to do the impossible when He says, “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk” (John 5:8). If the man says, “Sir, I cannot rise because I cannot walk” then healing would have passed him by. Instead, he must believe that what Jesus is saying is true because, “immediately the man was made whole” (John 5:9).

Do you wish to be whole of everything that ails you? Rise, take up your bed and walk. This act of faith is still relevant for us today as we trust that the healer is in the house. He loves you and He has paid a great price for your healing in both body and soul.

The Sun of Righteousness

Malachi 4:2

Notice the capitalization of “Sun”, making it a proper noun. This takes the meaning from that of a celestial body that burns with gas, to being something far more formal. This verse marks the only time that we see Jesus referred to as “Sun”, comparing Him with light and heat.

Jesus himself said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). The beginning of this verse says, “Then spake Jesus again unto them”. Who is the “them” that Jesus is speaking to? It is the people that He has been teaching in the temple since early in the morning (verse 2). Within context of chapter 8, Jesus speaks this great verse following one of the more infamous incidents in all of the gospels.

A woman was brought to Jesus who had been caught in the act of adultery. The Pharisees wished to trap Jesus by asking what He thought that they should do to her, in light of Moses’ command that she should be stoned. If Jesus says, “Let her go”, then He is accused of ignoring the law. If He says, “Stone her”, then they pin Him as unloving and judgmental. His response was to point out the sin in all of their lives, leaving no one spotless to accuse her. The only spotless one, Jesus Himself, says, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (John 8:11).

Following the gift of no condemnation, which empowers the woman to “sin no more”; Jesus calls Himself the light of the world. In effect, He is naming Himself the “Sun” of this world; in which all of His followers will bear within themselves the light of life (verse 12). This proclamation must be linked back to the prophecy of Malachi to truly understand its importance.

Malachi said that those who fear the name of the Lord, the Sun of righteousness would arise. No one feared the name of the Lord as did the Jewish people, and it was to them that Jesus, the “Sun”, first appeared. Then he tells us that when the Sun of righteousness does arrive, He will have “healing in his wings”. The “Sun” precedes the “healing” in this verse, thus it precedes it in the life of Jesus. When the light of Jesus shined into the life of the adulterous woman, it did not show her sin, but rather it showed her freedom from condemnation. The same light that shined provided her with the healing that she would need to “sin no more”.

Many feel that the light of Jesus shines into the lives of believers to show what they are doing wrong and to condemn them for it. Yet, when Jesus shares this verse, it follows great redemption and hope. His light does not shine into believers to show them their sin, for their sins are remembered no more! Rather, His light shines within us to show us that we are not condemned and that we are the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The continuous reminder that you are not condemned provides healing for your hurts, your pains and your insecurities. A constant reminder of your failures and sins will bring on guilt and condemnation, which will further into fear and torment. The perfect love of Jesus constantly drives out the fear and the torment, leaving you healed and whole. Praise be to God for the light of Jesus. As the old song says, “Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine”.

The Balm Comes to Gilead

Jeremiah 8:18-22

In the 32nd chapter of Numbers, the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh, chose to take for their inheritance the land on the wilderness side of the Jordan, while God has promised the land on the other side to all 12 tribes. These tribes represent world-bordering Christians; not lost, but certainly not free.

The land that they take encompasses the land of Gilead (Numbers 32:1), which was known the world over for its balm. The balm was a turpentine-like resin that secreted from a tree grown only in Gilead. The resin held medicinal purposes and was worth twice its weight in silver. You recall that Joseph was sold into slavery in Genesis 37, and that it was traders from Gilead who bought him. They were no doubt carrying this balm to sell to the merchants in Egypt.

Jeremiah is speaking of the oppressive nations just outside of Israel, and of the spiritual sickness that prevails in the land. “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” speaks of the fact that no neighboring ally has come to the aid of Israel, and since armies cannot march in the winter and since the summer is past, that means that no one is coming.

In this sorry state, he asks about the balm of Gilead. No physical balm can cure the ills of Israel, and no physician can take away her pain. It is going to take a medicine of a spiritual nature, and the hand of a Great Physician to eliminate Israel’s problems. Thank God that Physician was coming!

When Jesus journey’s across the Sea of Galilee in Mark 5, he stops in the land of the Gadarenes. This land is home to the descendants of the tribe of Gad, who had co-inhabited with the Gentiles of the land of Gilead for centuries. The resultant peoples were idol worshippers, who sacrificed pigs to their many gods. A man lives there who has been dwelling in the grave yards, cutting himself, possessed with many demons. It is for this man that Jesus has arrived.

You know the story, how Christ delivers the man, and casts the demons into the swine. These pigs run into the sea and drown, destroying the entire sacrificial flock of the Gadarenes. One man is excited to be free while a nation is outraged at Jesus. The balm has finally arrived in Gilead, healing one, and causing a burning sensation in those who reject its powers.

Jesus is the balm of Gilead and He is ready to mend your sin-sick soul. If you do not know Him, all that you must do is believe Him as your savior and He will enter your heart, pouring His balm into the areas that need healing. If you are a child of God, the Great Physician is living in you, ready to bring His health and wholeness into every area of your life. Allow Him to mend your mind, your emotions, your hopes and your body. You are His child, even if you are bordering close to the world. He loves you and wants to bring His power into your life.

Go in the power of the balm today. Freely Christ gives His power. Freely you can receive.