"...WHO DID NOT DIE..." -- Devotional for June 19, from "Good Seeds"

And Hezekiah became mortally ill. Isaiah the prophet came to him and said, “Thus saith the Lord: ’Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.’” Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitter tears. The Lord spoke again through the prophet, “I have seen your tears and heard your prayer. In three days you will be healed, and you will live fifteen more years.” (II Kings 20:1-6)

This is probably my all time favorite movie line. It was spoken by Rizzo the Rat who was assisting Mr. Charles Dickens (played by Gonzo) in narrating the story in “The Muppets’ Christmas Carol” – undoubtedly the best movie version of this classic Christmas tale. No, I’m serious – the BEST! And this line is part of what qualifies it as such. You know the story: when old Scrooge comes through his transformation, he not only feels good, but does good, to everyone he meets, and that would include his lowly employee, Bob Cratchit, the one who had most suffered Scrooge’s cruel venom. I wonder if the author had another “Scrooge” in mind – a biblical one – when crafting the character of his villain-turned-hero. I’m thinking of Zaccheus, who when he turned to the Lord, not only proclaimed a feast for all his friends (wait, he didn’t have any friends – business associates, then), but he also proclaimed two “New Life’s Resolutions”: to give half of all his wealth to the poor, and to pay back fourfold the amount of money he had extorted from his tax victims, er, clients. Dickens’ Scrooge also turned to the poor with his wealth, starting with Cratchit’s son, Tiny Tim. And it was because the best medical treatment money could buy had been ordered up and paid for by old Ebenezer Scrooge that Rizzo could say with such feeling that a certain little boy – “who did NOT die” – was now running and laughing and playing with his friends. And it was all because of the kindness of a man who up until this moment of truth knew nothing of kindness. Another “Tiny Tim,” again a biblical one, could have the same thing said about him. His name, Hezekiah: not a little boy of London, but a great king of Israel. His time to die had arrived, according to God Himself. Hezekiah pled with tears, “In all respect, Lord, I beg to differ – and I beg of You, let me live, if only just a little longer. I’ve served You faithfully through my life, but I really don’t think I’m done. Don’t you agree?” And, amazingly, God did agree, and added fifteen years to his life. This is uppermost in my mind today, the day we heard the results of my wife’s tests. The doctor said, in effect, “I don’t know everything, and I don’t know your future, but it doesn’t look like today will be your day to die. Go! Live! Celebrate!” And we did. That Whopper Jr. washed down with a chocolate shake never tasted so good…Karen enjoyed it, too!