The Joyful Journey

The Parade of Nations

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Numbers 8-9}

“At the command of the Lord the children of Israel would journey, and at the command of the Lord they would camp; as long as the cloud stayed above the tabernacle they remained encamped.” Numbers 9:18

Have you been watching the Olympics? What an opening day! Friday was truly a study in human emotions! The death of the young Luge competitor from Georgia was numbing to us all. It cast a sad oppressive pallor over the opening night ceremony in Vancouver. During the moment of silence dedicated to his memory most of us were probably thinking the same thing. Did 21 year old Nodar have a thought before he started down his harrowing run that the Canadian air he was breathing would be the last air he would ever breathe? Hurtling down the speedy slope of the newly built luge track, did he think about that? Perhaps he might have.

On Sunday his father spoke to a small group of journalists over strong sweet coffee in the kitchen of his home. His mother sat crying at a table covered in snapshots of her son. We can all relate to such an emotional scene.

His father said, “He called me before the Olympics..and he said, ‘Dad, I’m scared of one of the turns.’”

Recalling the phone conversation the day before the tragedy, Mr. Kumaritashvili said he had offered some advice to his apprehensive son.

“I said put your legs down on the ice to slow down, but he said if he started the course he would finish it…He was brave,” the father said.

Nodar Kumaritashvili didn’t get to the Parade of Nations. He had planned to but it didn’t happen.

As I watched the faces of the multitudes of athletes who did get to march around the huge arena, I was struck by the joy on their faces – the incredible happiness at accomplishing their goal. They had made it to the Parade of Nations. They were a part of the Olympics. Some were taking pictures, others were waving their hands in the air - their countenances radiating their joy! Men and women, participating from countries all over the world, marching as a part of the whole. But, like Nodar -they still had no idea of where they were going. Was it toward a medal – maybe even a gold? Or, after all of their training, would they qualify to be in the finals? Would they be eliminated? Would they sustain an injury and be sidelined? They had made it this far, yet they didn’t have a clue about what their future competition held. But this night, February 12, 2010, they were marching in the Parade of Nations and they were beyond euphoric.

The Israelites have made it to a milestone in their journey. A year has gone by since they left Egypt and celebrated the first Passover. The people had remained at the foot of Mt. Sinai as the book of Leviticus had been given and the tabernacle was completed. The record of Numbers begins with the nation still at Mt. Sinai in the second month of the second year. Imagine their joy as they gathered together and celebrated their second Passover.

After the dedication of the tabernacle something incredible happened. A cloud settled over the tabernacle – a cloud that would turn into a pillar of fire every night. Numbers 9:15-23 gives us the most extensive description in the Bible of the movement of the cloud that symbolized God’s Presence with the children of Israel. Think of the excitement of the Israelites as the cloud descended from heaven and covered the tabernacle. It was a visual sign from God that He was in the midst of them and that He would lead them on their journey to the Promised Land. It must have been a breathtaking sight – even better than the opening of the Olympic Games and the Olympic torch.

The Israelites had left Egypt escaping a lifestyle as brick making slaves. They had received a year of training with Moses at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Now the cloud rested on the tabernacle and the presence of God was about to lead them on a newlife long journey. When the cloud lifted, they were to pack up and move,when it settled, they were to stay put. Like the athletes in the Parade of Nations, they had made it to a huge milestone in their lives but much lay ahead of them. Would they pass the tests that lay ahead or would they be sidelined in God’s plan for their lives?

We’re not Olympic athletes and we’re not Israelites but we still have much in common with these people we watch on TV screens and read about in our Bibles. We are all a part of the human race. Physically we get sick and we get injured. Sometimes we receive our physical health back and sometimes we don’t. Emotionally, we experience love, happiness, fear, and anger. It doesn’t matter what color our skin is as we march in the great Parade of Nations because under that skin is a human being, made in the image of God, experiencing common emotions that God put in us. Spiritually there is a place in all of us that is created for God to fill and our souls are not satisfied until He enters our hearts and reigns in His place.

Like the athletes, like the Israelites, we don’t know what our future life - journey holds or how long it will last. But we all can trust the God who created us, loves us and wants to lead us into the unknown – the God who has said, “My presence will go with you and I will give you rest.”