As we honor Black History Month, we’re excited to launch a blog series titled The Gospel in Song: Theological Truths for Teenagers from Black Spirituals. This series highlights the rich theology, resilience, and faith woven into these timeless songs. We hope youth ministers and parents will be inspired to share the Black spirituals as tools for discipleship.
Songs of every kind have a comforting way of voicing all the emotions tangled within the human heart. Different seasons necessitate different genres, and various sentiments require varying melodies. In the genre known as the “Negro Spirituals,” there is a common theme of hope amidst intense struggles.
The Black Spirituals gave voice to the enslaved Africans on American soil who sought to reconcile their dreaded condition with their knowledge of a loving and omniscient God. Perhaps what is most intriguing is that many spirituals do not profess accusations toward God regarding the enslaved plight; rather, the songs often contain an assured confidence in the God who promised eternal glory. Such is the case with the anonymous spiritual, “There Is a Balm in Gilead.”
Biblical Connections
The song comes from the prophet Jeremiah’s inquiry in Jeremiah 8:22: “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician here? So why has the healing of my dear people not come about?” Prior to the prophet’s questions, the LORD pronounces grave judgment upon the nations of Israel and Judah. Yahweh profusely explains their sin, earnestly begs their repentance, and remains steadfast in his judgment. God uses Jeremiah’s tongue to proclaim these weighty words, and Jeremiah’s sorrow begins to shine forth. The prophet weeps over his fellow people, and his pain brings him to his questions in Jeremiah 8:22.
The “balm” to which the prophet refers has a medicinal connotation, especially in its association with Gilead. The mountainous region of Gilead was evidently known for its physicians and the healing capabilities that came from the ointment of the trees within the mountain.1 Jeremiah appears to draw upon this understanding to invoke a plea toward God. Pastor Tony Evans asserts that “Jeremiah longed for God to apply the healing balm in Gilead to [Israel’s] wounds.”2 In this case, the prophet’s question about a “balm in Gilead” is most evidently rhetorical. Jeremiah knows that there is a “balm in Gilead,” and his question is simply a plea for God to put it into effect.
The History of ‘There is a Balm in Gilead’
Therefore, perhaps the enslaved picked up on this rhetorical tone and proactively turned the question mark into an exclamation point, as theologian Howard Thurman submits. In fact, Thurman suggests that “the slave caught the mood of this spiritual dilemma and with it did an amazing thing. He straightened the question mark in Jeremiah’s sentence into an exclamation point: ‘There is a balm in Gilead!’ Here is the note of creative triumph.”3 That is, through this spiritual, the enslaved affirmed God’s healing power and his very intention to heal. The enslaved were aware that there was indeed a physician present because He had already sacrificed himself to “make the wounded whole” and “heal the sin-sick soul.”
Gospel Hope for Teenagers
From the enslaved psalmists who sang “There is a Balm in Gilead,” we learn several potent truths to encourage the teenagers we serve.
First, the question mark in Jeremiah 8:22a can indeed be turned into an exclamation point because of Christ. Our Lord is the Great Physician who took on flesh to heal our wounds and give the hope of salvation to the world. So, yes, there is a balm. There is a physician, and his hope and intention will be made whole through his sacrifice on the cross. No matter what ails the hearts of our students, whether anxiety or other mental health challenges, friendship discord, identity distortion, divorcing parents, or simply an aching heart, there is always a balm to point them toward. When we know the Great Physician, we can rest assured his healing will come.
Regardless of the pain and suffering of the present day, Jesus’ work of salvation promises that life will not always be this way. This notion is even more powerful when perceived in light of the enslaved condition. Rid of dignity in their physical bodies and forbidden from the nourishing of their souls through worship, a slave’s every meal was sorrow. Indeed, Reverend Frederick Douglass wrote in his autobiography, “the songs of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart; and he is relieved by them, only as an aching heart is relieved by its tears.”4 Though pain was their middle name, the slaves sang to pronounce hope in the middle of hopelessness, confidence amid grave uncertainty. The reason for the spiritual’s refrain is none other than Christ himself. Our healing, hope, and “balm” lies within him.
Another lesson that believers can take from this Black Spiritual is that we must let our weariness push us to God. The song goes, “Sometimes I feel discouraged, and think my work’s in vain. But then the Holy Spirit revives my soul again.” Our students experience the reality of living in a sin-torn world. They feel anxious and afraid as a result of the current climate of division in our country. Just as we grow tired in our gospel labor, they too may feel weary of this world. Truthfully, bearing our cross and loving even our enemies can bear a great burden on hearts yet to be fully sanctified.
Nonetheless, the spiritual highlights an encouragement Paul gives in Galatians 6:9 – “Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we do not give up.” Perhaps as another proactive measure, the enslaved identified the Spirit as the One who would give us the strength to continue moving forward. In the midst of our fatigue, we may run to the Holy Spirit, our Counselor (John 14:26), who revives our weary souls.
Lastly, the Negro Spiritual maintains the gospel truth that all believers can share the good news of Christ Jesus. Surely, even “if you cannot preach like Peter” or “if you cannot pray like Paul, you can tell the love of Jesus and say, ‘He died for all.’” The Great Commission from Matthew 28:19 makes it clear that God intends for all nations to know and love their Creator, the God of Israel. Therefore, whether young or old, the disciple’s job is to make other disciples.
Our digital age attempts to convince us that every message must be TikTok-worthy or generate enough “shares” and “likes.” The truth of the matter is that our teenagers need to hear one simple message: Christ Jesus died for all. We need not communicate in the spirit of the latest trending celebrity preacher or youth pastor, but rather from the heart of one utterly convinced of the love and grace of our Lord Jesus. Our students crave hearing the true Word from a heart that is genuine.
Even more so, God is not looking for the next Peter nor the next Paul. Rather, he searches for those willing to proclaim his name amidst a dark world. The spiritual, “There is a Balm in Gilead,” among others, encourages us to do just that: to shine the light of Jesus and remain secure in the hope he provides, despite the chaos of sin and evil. For we know there was and will always be a balm in Gilead.
- Rick B. Marrs, “Balm,” and David Merling, “Gilead,” Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, 145 and 504. ↩︎
- Tony Evans, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2019), 687. ↩︎
- Howard Thurman, Deep River and The Negro Spiritual Speaks of Life and Death (Richmond: Friends United Press, 1975), 60. ↩︎
- Frederick Douglass, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass,” in The Classic Slave Narratives, ed. Henry Louis Gates Jr. (New York: Signet Classics, 2012), 325. ↩︎
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