The King Wants To See You

I suffered such an injury as a young man. During my second year in medical school I stepped into a hole while playing touch football. Someone had pulled off the head of an underground sprinkler, leaving a hole. Grass grew over the hole, creating a trap for some unsuspecting young man running through the yard. I did step into the hole and I went down hard. My foot was held secure by the hole, but my body continued forward, carried by the momentum of my weight. That didn’t work out well for me.

I could barely walk, though I did manage to hobble to the school the following morning. I had wrapped my ankle as tightly as possible with an Ace Bandage, but I realised, even with my limited knowledge at that time, that I had injured myself quite severely. I consulted with a man who was completing a sabbatical at the medical school. Derek was an orthopedic surgeon from Canada. He would shortly be returning to Toronto. It seemed appropriate that I ask him about the injury. I hoped I wouldn’t be forced to cast the foot, losing what I imagined to be precious time in pursuing my degree.

I still recall the conversation Derek and I had that morning. He informed me that he was not licenced to practise medicine in the United States, but he suggested that I seat myself on a stool while he went about his work. He would muse about what I presented, and I could do with his musings as I saw fit. He suggested that I presented with “chronic recurring ankle collapse.” I mused back that at the prices orthopedic surgeons charged, the condition deserved a Latin name. He smiled and continued with his musing.

The conclusion of his musing was that I had suffered a severe injury—more severe than I had first imagined. Were I to consult most specialists, they would likely recommend surgery. However, in those days, the surgery was complicated, leaving the patient in considerable pain and with limited mobility of the ankle. My erstwhile friend recommended some exercises that would strengthen the opposing side of the injured ankle. That is what I did. Even with that care, it was months before I could walk without noticeable pain. And to this day, the ankle collapses under me without warning, dropping me on my face. I have lived with this condition for almost five decades since that time, and the pain can be pronounced. Consequently, I feel an uncomfortable affinity with Mephibosheth. I have no doubt this child suffered greatly as result of this one incident.

Time passed, the boy grew, living in what appears to be relative poverty and enjoying a good measure of obscurity. David united the kingdom under his reign, put down the threat of assault from the Philistines, bested the Syrians in combat, and subdued Edom, Moab, Ammon and Amalek. Then, David began to gather the materials that would be required to build the Temple of the LORD God. God denied him the privilege of building the Temple because he was a warrior; but God did permit David the privilege of gathering materials that would be needed so that his son would be able to build the Temple. At last, David’s kingdom was secure and the nation enjoyed a measure of peace.