“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved… Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? So why has the healing of my dear people not come about? (Jeremiah 8:20-11).
The biblical context or text under our review and for reflection this week expresses the hopelessness of man when confronted with his carelessness of purpose and reveals God’s hopefulness and righteous acts when we turn around to view His super-imposing presence in the land; Gilead or Nigeria as the case may be.
It was a heart-breaking situation for Jeremiah who, under God’s revelation, pictured and envisioned hopeless future of Judah (Zion). “Is the Lord not in Zion?” he exclaimed. The scenario that played out, which brought about the ugly and looming danger upon the people of Judah, the captivity and exiled experience which cumulated into a state of hopelessness, and the subsequent alarm raised by the prophet, is that of apostasy and unrighteousness committed with impunity by the people. This brought about their seeming rejection, dejection, despair and frustration. There was a feeling of God’s absence from them. They were perplexed at their fate, still wondering how God could have permitted the destruction of His land and temple, hence they asked: Is God no longer in Zion? Is there no balm in Gilead?
They spoke from the hopelessness of their exile; the harrowing experience of captivity in Babylon (the heathen nation). Babylon is symbolic of satanic power and has remained a constant tool to deal with Judah over their awful disobedience against God. God is never happy with any nation or citizen who indulges in detestable practices of idolatry, witchcraft, stealing, kidnapping, militancy, insurgencies of any kind, bribery and corruption, sexual immorality, terrorism, bombing and killing of innocent people.
This situation grieves God and kindles His anger against any people. At such time, His visitation on the land spells doom which manifests itself in acute scarcity, poverty, poor health condition, bareness among the daughters, infertility of the land, hunger, unimaginable frustrations in the land, high death toll, people hungry in the midst of plenty, much harvest of healing and medicinal spices, but no healing for the sick in the land (many hospitals and medical personnel around but death toll on the increase).
Gilead is a district of ancient Palestine located on the bank of River Jordan, highly blessed with mineral resources due to the river deposits. The territory of Gilead therefore serves an important source of spices and medical herbs which could be scientifically converted to important balms for the healing of the sick.
Balm, on the other hand, is a healing substance. “The Complete Christian Dictionary defines it as an ointment that soothes or heals or anything that has a soothing healing influence.”
In a more rejuvenating sense, it comes with a fragrance which adds flavour to life. It has great medicinal value, exuding from certain plants available in Gilead and other tropical zones of the universe.
The prophecy of Jeremiah therefore bears witness to the fact that Gilead was enriched with balms for the soothing of any ailment. But the insight from the scripture shows that the reverse was rather the case. The unwarranted reality in Judah underscores the words of Jeremiah in Jer. 8: 20-22.
Despite the bounteous harvest of herbs with soothing effect in Gilead, the health condition of the people was in no way better.
The entire episode is typical of Nigeria. Just as Gilead in the Bible, Nigeria is located on the bank of the rich river of Niger, where it derives its name, having a large deposit of oil, crude and other unquantifiable resources.
*It is blessed with a human population of about 170 million people who are skilfully endowed.
*Like Gilead, it is adjudged the most religious nation of the world, yet she is the most morally-bankrupt society.
*We struggle for the national cake from God’s bakery, but we are like Ephraim that is not fully baked.
Comparatively, Nigeria has enormous economic potentials due to its natural endowment, but lacked the appropriation skills and managerial ability to affect the people’s lives, but 90 per cent of her citizens live below $1 a day.
*We are born in the midst of plenty, but we daily wallow in the ocean of poverty.
*Government comes and goes with programmes of apparent economic and social value but our situation remains unabated.
*We have the best professionally skilled men and women such as medical doctors, engineers, highly intelligent and proficient teachers, but our hospitals lack medical doctors, our schools lack teachers and has become monuments of history.
Our land is sick. Is there no balm in Gilead?
I am under commission to raise a prophetic and wailing voice over our society (Nigeria). God is our healer.
*God is the soothing balm of every life, family and our society.
*There is a physician in Nigeria. He is the balm in Gilead.