The valour of kings particularly in the battle field and the courage they display in the face of impending death have been celebrated over the years in diverse cultures; but here in the 20th Chapter of the book of 2nd Kings we find the unusual spectacle of a “Christian” King – if I might use the term for a Godly King – actually weeping and pleading against the express will of God that he set his house in order. He thinks it necessary to parade all his virtuous ways before God in an effort to make Him reconsider His decision for him to die.
And God does! This is one of the few instances recorded in the Bible where the will of God actually alters in response to man’s request. Lesson: While we should be prepared to quietly and calmly accept the will of God as best for our lives, we needn’t be shy of voicing our heart’s cry. God doesn’t ignore it. Why in His loving kindness, He may even accommodate your desire under His sovereign dispensation.
I would like to keep Hezekiah’s story as a backdrop to tell my own tale, mixed with some imaginative excursions. Please stay with me. It may not be gripping but at the same time you might find enough masala in it for it to be entertaining!
It was probably at the Falkirk Wheel in central Scotland, that I first had the feeling of tightening of chest, though at that time in March 2019 my struggle was put down to extreme cold, blustery wind and incessant rain. It brought considerable mirth to my eldest son Yadin, who photographed the scene with the jolly comment “Pa battling the elements”!
The family reunion centered around Glasgow – of which the Falkirk visit was a part – lasted a few more days before we returned to Madras; in the meanwhile I continued to have the same feeling of discomfort from time to time.
The problem had nothing to do with the geography or the weather. I sensed it could be something to do with my heart but I told myself that only X,Y and Z had “corrupt”(ed) hearts and since J had more than his fair share of troubles stemming from the rarest of the rare congenital metabolic disorder ‘Alkaptanuria’ (AKU), God will spare him from any other suffering. Deep in my heart I had steeled myself to face any kind of curve ball that life threw at me but I always thought (mistakenly) it would only be AKU related.
It soon became apparent that I was living in a fool’s paradise; I was constrained to pray that God who is the supreme cardiologist would give me a miracle cure without any medical intervention. However, I told the Lord that should the problem recur even after a scheduled visit I was to undertake to Singapore end of May, I will report it. Until then, it would be my very own secret! Well, God played ball along with me and events turned out just as I had prayed.
Thus it was that on the night of 16 June, I found myself in the Cardiac Care Unit of Apollo Vanagaram, Chennai where I live; the Angiogram was scheduled for the next morning. The usual hope is that discovering a block or two, the Interventionist’s team would follow up immediately with angioplasty, insert the stents into position and all would be well. But that was not to be in my case.
The Coronary Interventionist was somewhat taken aback when he found the right side completely blocked (100%); the left was only slightly lagging with four 80% and 90% blocks. This needed reassessment. The doctor was worried. Deeply worried. But he tried not to show it. Faced with accusations that the World Trade Organization wasn’t doing enough at a particularly difficult time for international trade, its President Mike Moore famously remarked, we may seem like a swan on the outside swaying its head serenely this way and that but you can be sure under the water level, we are peddling furiously.
I am sure the doctor’s brain too was working overtime.He decided to attack the tricky right side first. His reasoning was that should the left side be addressed first, and something goes wrong, with the right side blocked 100% , the heart shuts down. End of story.
By probing the right side first, he was giving himself – and me – two chances. But I knew that he was embarking on a risky procedure. I got a nurse to sneak in hospital stationery and quickly scribbled my will when my wife Pearl was outside telephoning. And I slipped it in the pocket of the hospital gown in the hope that it will eventually find its way to the doctor (known to us) in case everything didn’t turn out right.
I have been in umpteen surgeries before, thanks mainly to AKU. But anesthesia rendered me oblivious to all the carpentry, fitting and machining work on my body, every time I was put on the table. But Angioplasty and Stenting is a different kettle of fish. No general anesthesia. Your body doesn’t turn into a workshop. It is more like “pigging” a pipeline (you need to be either a medical doctor or a mechanical engineer to understand! For others there is always Google!). And you remain conscious all the time; all the time that is, until something goes wrong.
In the meanwhile I had had plenty of time to think; the intervening day of 18 June when the doctor was weighing his options turned out to be a particularly good time to calm my mind in quiet submission. I didn’t know the references then, but for a few days I had been mulling over the passage in the epistles where Paul discusses the relative merits of life and death and declares that he is in a strait betwixt the two. My case seemed fairly straightforward since I couldn’t honestly affirm like Paul that ” to abide in the flesh is more needful for you” (Philippians 1:24) . Though I had earlier prayed that the discomfort of chest tightening should stop without medical intervention, now I purposed not to pray that I should come out of the procedure unscathed; nor did I ask anyone to pray for me and left the whole matter in God’s hands to dispose off as He willed. That is not to say nobody pleaded with God on my behalf; we’ll come to this aspect presently.
Herein you can see a divergence between Hezekiah’s story and mine. From all accounts Hezekiah was a great king and given his stupendous record (2 Chronicles 32:27-30), it is reasonable to suppose that he had in mind many wonderful plans to fulfill for the benefit of his subjects. All of them would never come to fruition should he be taken away in the prime of life. In sharp contrast, there were no altruistic projects awaiting my personal touch or grandiose schemes for the good of the people that will never see the light of day if I should give up the ghost! So there was little chance that barring my family, relatives and a circle of friends anyone would notice my departure (Psalm 103:16). No, not even the Income Tax department, for ever since I was liberated from the tyranny of the monthly pay cheque, I’ve not been of much interest to them!
Thus it was that as the minutes stretched to hours I began to wonder when exactly the sweet chariot coming to carry me home would swing low to collect me from the Cathlab table! But as I said before, there were people praying for me. My family for sure, but also many others in churches and prayer groups that had been notified. Some fasted and others adjusted their prayer time to coincide with the time schedule of the angioplasty procedure. Also, there was the important matter of the doctor’s professional reputation. I could not ignore the fact that he was daringly putting it at stake for my sake. So I did pray that he should come out shining, whatever befell me. But howsoever successful the procedure, unless the patient also comes out in good repair, there will be no cheers for the doctor. So, maybe I was selfish after all.
Well, everything didn’t turn out right in the first essay; urological problems caused by my AKU (like a bad penny, it is sure to turn up) complicated matters, but I survived. Barely. However that night I developed severe pain on my back and the doctor was called in, in the middle of the night.I think it was touch and go but I lived on till the next day to undergo another angioplasty, this time on the left side.This was absolutely the last chance and every one knew it. I saw a very concerned Yadin – our eldest son – in the corridor as I was being wheeled to the Cathlab, and in his sad eyes I could sense a silent sayanora. Our youngest son Zubin had also arrived, but it looked as though I was not going to see our middle son Rabin – still on his way from Sweden – this side of heaven again. Sad. Very sad.
Since I seemed to be hovering close to death’s door, it didn’t seem unnatural to give wings to my imagination and fly to the other side for a little bit of adventure. In any case I felt I was halfway to heaven, what with the hospital gown hanging loose around my body like an angel’s surplice! So, here goes!
The Administration in heaven appeared to be well informed of my arrival (kudos to their intelligence wing) . They had also done their homework into my background and figured that I had delusions of being a singer of some sort. Their research had also revealed that I rather fancied the low frequencies and that I was partial to male voice quartette type of gospel music. Armed with this knowledge, their very well organized HRD put together an elite panel to interview me. Who do you think was heading the panel? None other than Asaph himself (1 Chronicles 16:4-5). Phew!
Asaph introduced the others. Orlandus Wilson of the Golden Gate Quartette, Isaac Freeman from the Fairfield Four, JD Sumner of the Stamps Quartette and George Younce of the Cathedrals. Talk about great bass quartettes! I began to shiver.They wanted me to sing. My teeth were chattering as I began Pat Boon’s “Beyond the sunset”. Just the bass part mind you. That is all I knew.
“That sounds kind of unusual” the quartette said. Being well trained musicians, they figured out that the harmony arrangement was nothing like anything they’d ever heard. They were impressed. Totally impressed.
“Who set the arrangement?”
“Joshua”
“Joshua, the son of Nun? Isn’t he more into battles and boundaries?”
“No, Joshua Chelliah”
“Oh, this arrangement is out of the world! He must be from some other planet? Yes?
No, Sirs. He is very much a denizen of earth. In fact he lives in Nungambakkam and I used to go to his house weekly for practice. To be honest it is difficult to tell whether I went for practice or for dinner for he ensures regularity by throwing in a sumptuous meal as well.
Mmm…interesting …he seems to have found a solution to the problem most choirs wrestle with. Okay, the others in your group? Haven’t they come?”
“No Sirs. Barring one or two, the others are younger and they are generally in good health. I think it will be a while before they get here.”
(Asaph) “I see, what does this guy Joshua do for a living?”
“He is a Liar”
(Asaph) “What?”
It just so happened that within ear shot was an angel who was familiar with the Indian subcontinent. He whispered gently in Asaph’s ear:
“Chief, this fellow must have sojourned in Delhi for some years. Up there, they are in the habit of calling their lawyers liars, for they say there is no essential difference between the two!”
(Asaph) “Shsh…..Nicodemus might take umbrage… here, we have to keep a distinction. So this Joshua bloke is a Lawyer, is he? I don’t know how good a lawyer he is, but his music is alright. Tell him to stick to music and throw law to the bats and to the moles. And you (pointing to me), I don’t think you are quite ready to get in here. Orlando, Isaac, J.D. and George, they all think there is an awful lot you have to learn still. Therefore I suggest that you go back to your group – what is it called? The Harmonics – hone your skills and come back with the others. Now, get lost. One more thing – get rid of that ghastly gown when you come again. And hurry, before they start looking for someone to take your place.”
End of imagination.
Well, God had mercy on me and my family and today I’m happy to tell my tale and glorify His name. Rabin arrived on the 21st ;the household that was steeling itself for a period of mourning turned into a home of joy and laughter. And it was the Lord’s doing. In fact there is a sneaking suspicion that He orchestrated the whole episode only in order to give us the felicity of a family reunion at home after a gap of six years! Well, I wouldn’t put it past Him!!
Back to Hezekiah.
Though he may have had many schemes in mind when he sought life extension, he did not mention any in his plea. Nor is there a note of thanksgiving to God for being with him (2 Kings 18:7) and enabling him to accomplish so much in his short life span (though afterwards when he recovers, he does praise God). Even though God paid heed to his request and healed Hezekiah, it appears that He left him to his own devices in the second innings (2 Chronicles 32:31) ! And Hezekiah’s actual performance during the extra years is nothing to write home about! If anything he is charged of being proud (2 Chronicles 32:25) and he displays vanity in showing off his treasury and armory to emissaries from Babylon. In consequence, the Lord sends prophet Isaiah to pronounce evil upon the kingdom; Hezekiah is seen consoling himself – rather selfishly – that at least during his time on earth, there will be peace and security. In sum it would appear that things would altogether have been better for the Jewish kingdom and Hezekiah’s legacy had he submitted to God’s original plan!
A very good lesson.
In the book of Isaiah we read Hezekiah’s long poem (Isaiah 38:9)after he got well. I didn’t quite remember it when I wrote a limerick of my own soon after discharge from the hospital:
There once was called a man called Judah, wonder of wonders he still is
The great existential question alas he could not dis
To be or not to be
Was the repeated query
Death beckoned but was told in the end to give him a miss!
That is all very well, but we need to bat with circumspection (Ephesians 5:15) whether it is the first, or perchance the second innings.
Oh, the will? It came home with me; I have since given it to Pearl.
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