Balm of Gilead
Balm of Gilead
Balm Of Gilead
The oil that reminds us that tears and a contrite heart are never forgotten by God.
Ingredients: Pure Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Israel mixed with Rose of Sharon (Farm Grown), Balsam, and Mint essential oils.
The Balm of Gilead, is an aromatic resin used for medical purposes that was exported from Tyre and elsewhere. This is seen in scriptures where it is mentioned that the Ishmaelites who carried Joseph into Egyptian bondage were also Gilead balm traders.
Balsam trees are native to the Gilead area. Incisions in the bark of a balsam tree yield three or four drops a day from each, and left to stand the balsam becomes of a golden color and pellucid as a gem. Back in those days this balm was so scarce that the Jericho gardens yielded only six or seven gallons yearly, which was worth twice its weight in silver.
The word balm is derived from balsam, which originated from the Greek word (pronounced) balsamon, which was adopted to represent the Hebrew words baal shemen, meaning "lord of oils." These trees are called “boche” in Hebrew, indicating a tree which drips sap when it is cut, also known as a weeping tree. Psalm 56 says “Thou hast taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Thy bottle; are {they} not in Thy book? In the ancient world, when a loved one died, mourners would catch their falling tears in a bottle and bury them as a token of eternal devotion. Psalm 84 also speaks about Bacha (weeping) where it says ‘How blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee; in whose heart are the highways {to Zion} Passing through the valley of Baca, they make it a spring, the early rain also covers it with blessings. They go from strength to strength, {every one of them} appears before God in Zion.”
There is further mention of these trees in the books of second Samuel and first Chronicles where we are told the story of how David inquired of the LORD whether to go up against the enemy or not and God instructed "You shall not go {directly} up; circle around behind them and come at them in front of the balsam trees. And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then you shall act promptly, for then the LORD will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines."
Scriptures related with this oil can be found in: Genesis 37:25, Ezekiel 27:17, Jeremiah 8:22, Song of Songs 4:1, Song of Songs 6:13, 2 Sam 5:22-25, 1 Chr 14:10-17, and James 5:14