March 14

Is there no balm in Gilead? Is no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored? — Jer 8:22 BSB

There is balm in Gilead, and there is a physician there. This truth is, and must always be, our only hope. If there were no balm in Gilead, what could we do but lie down in despair and die? Our sins are too great, our backslidings too frequent, our minds too dark, our hearts too hard, our affections too cold, and our souls too wavering and wandering. Without the balm of Gilead, without the precious blood of Jesus, the sweet promises of God, or His sovereign grace, and without the Great Physician—our risen Jesus, our High Priest—what hope could we have? None. Our own obedience and righteousness? These are as insufficient as a bed that is too short and a covering too narrow.

But when the balm of Gilead is applied, it softens, melts, and humbles the soul while also thoroughly healing it. This balm strengthens every nerve and sinew; it heals blindness, cures deafness, remedies paralysis, makes the lame leap like a deer, and causes the tongue of the mute to sing. It brings gospel sight, gospel hearing, gospel strength, and a gospel walk. When the heart is touched by a sense of God’s goodness, mercy, and love toward such undeserving sinners, it produces gospel obedience—a humble, sincere obedience. Not the proud obedience of those trusting in their own goodness, climbing the ladder of self-righteousness, but an obedience rooted in gratitude, love, and submission—willingly and cheerfully rendered. This is the obedience that is acceptable to God because it flows from His own Spirit and grace. The application of this divine balm purifies the heart, making sin hateful and Jesus precious. It fills the soul with gratitude and an earnest desire to live for God’s honor and glory.

This is how the Lord gains honor for Himself. He reveals the depth of our fall, makes us feel the weight of our sin, and shows us how our iniquities abound. He brings our proud hearts low, laying us in the dust, making us sigh, grieve, and groan. But then, He applies His sovereign balm, brings the blood of sprinkling to our conscience, and pours out His mercy and love. This constrains us to walk in cheerful, willing obedience. This is true Christian obedience—obedience “in the Spirit and not in the letter”—an obedience that glorifies God and is accompanied by every fruit and grace of the Spirit.