The Original Essential Oil

This week, I have been at our company’s education practice conference in Salt Lake City. In the same hotel, a conference for essential oils was also convening.

I have no personal experience with essential oils as homeopathic treatments for all manner of ailments, but based on the number of Facebook posts I see, I have several friends who do. I do have personal experience with smelling several of them as we crammed into elevators with our EO friends. Talk about nose-fatigue!

Many folks were willing to dab us with whatever they had in hand as a sample. I saw mamas applying oil to their baby’s feet and people rubbing their temples with the oils. It was amazing to see hundreds of people totally sold on these products.

The whole Essential oils experience caused me to reflect on the Balm of Gilead. Sometimes I hear preachers refer to it in sermons or I hear the phrase in a song, but I really had no idea what it was. In my research, I found that Gilead is a region west of the Jordan. There, the balsam trees secret a resin with medicinal properties. It was highly sought after and traded throughout the region.

Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, asked this question:

 “Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?” Jeremiah 8:22.

Who is the daughter? The Children of Israel, who are sin-sick and in need of some spiritual healing.

We are all in need of spiritual healing, aren’t we? Is there no physician? The answer is 1000 times over – YES.

God is our physician. And He supplied the ultimate Balm of Gilead, essential oil if you will, when Jesus shed His blood on the cross for our spiritual healing.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace…Ephesians 1:7.

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

Take a listen to Mahalia Jackson’s rendition of “There is a Balm in Gilead”.