A Word for May: The Camels Are Coming Home!
As the month of May was approaching, both my husband and I consecrated a time of prayer in order to hear what is on God's heart for the month of May.
May is the fifth month of the year, and a basic study of the Bible reveals that the number five symbolizes God's grace. I believe five multiplied by itself (twenty-five) is symbolic of multiplied grace...in other words, grace upon grace (John 1:16).
The words "multiplied grace" resonated deep in my spirit. I knew that the Holy Spirit was leading me into a deeper understanding of multiplied grace. I heard the sweet, gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit telling me that if grace is God's unmerited or undeserved favor towards us, then "multiplied grace" is His divine enabling power which perfects our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
The Camels Are Coming Home
As I was so engulfed with a sense of divine grace for the month of May, suddenly I heard, "The camels are coming home." I thought to myself: This is such a strange and random word. I certainly wasn't thinking of camels, nor do I enjoy riding them. I was never interested in camels, and didn't know much about them. However, with the release of this clear, unusual and random word, I had to pause and press in to find out whycamels are very significant and what they symbolize. I wanted to know...what does it mean for God to say: The camels are coming home. So I became very interested in finding out about the significance of camels and what the Lord was saying through this word.
Interestingly, in the Bible, camels were a sign of great wealth. Those that came with treasures and resources almost always had them on camel humps. According to biblical narratives, camels can symbolize power and status. When the queen of Sheba came to test Solomon, she arrived in Jerusalem with a large group of attendants and a great caravan of camels loaded with spices, large quantities of gold, and precious jewels. When she met with Solomon, she talked with him about everything she had on her mind (1 Kings 10:1-2).
Camels can carry greater loads and travel quite a bit farther than donkeys, they are much better adapted to traveling across sandy deserts, and do not need to be fed and watered as frequently. They are agile, relentless, and exhibit great perseverance that Believers need in these times of testing.
Camels are mentioned more than twenty times in the book of Genesis alone. Yet, sixteen of these mentions appear when Abraham's servant takes ten of his master's camels to Aram, where he was sent by Abraham to arrange for a wife for his son Isaac (Genesis 24:10). I took this as a clear invitation to press into this passage of Scripture and hear what God had to say about camels and, more specifically, camels coming home!
Why Ten Camels?
In this specific chapter Abraham was very old, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. Abraham called his most trusted servant and charged him not to choose a wife for Isaac from the people of Canaan. Instead, he instructed him to go back to Abraham's own country to his relatives and choose a wife for Isaac (Genesis 24:1-5). In other words, the only requirement for this future wife, to be part of the covenant, was that she had to be a relative. The servant left to try and find this future wife for his master's son.
Interestingly, the servant took ten of his master's camels with him and loaded them with all kinds of gifts from his master. As I read that portion of Scripture, my questions were, "Why would he choose ten loaded camels? What was their significance in the story?"
The purpose of Abraham's servant taking along what amounts to a caravan of camels, was to impress the prospective bride and her family with the great wealth of the prospective groom and his family.
Clearly, the underlying message was that the bride could be assured of a lifetime of security and plenty with the groom, and that her family would be rewarded for agreeing to the match. As a result, they would be comforted about the future of their daughter with the new groom. (Photo via Unsplash)
By what means did Abraham acquire this great wealth? The answer to this question is provided earlier in the text when a famine in Canaan sent Abraham to Egypt. Abraham's beautiful wife, Sarah, was taken by Pharaoh who, in return, bestowed great gifts upon Abraham on account of her...giving him sheep, cattle, donkeys, servants, maids and camels (Genesis 12:16).
Acquiring Camels During Seasons of Famine and Lack
Did Abraham possess camels prior to his encounter with the Pharaoh of Egypt? This is highly unlikely. To me, this revelation was so powerful! During a time of famine and lack, God multiplied grace for Abraham because he was in covenant with Jehovah. The number ten is also significant. From the Bible, we know that the number ten was used often for instituting and/or establishing new things. For example, the Ten Commandments were given to establish the Mosaic Law. Also, the ten plagues were to de-establish Pharaoh's rule and kingdom. So, I believe the number ten is prophetically speaking of establishing a wealth covenant with the new Bride.
Coming back to the story of Abraham's servant, when he arrived in the land of Abraham's relatives, he went to the well in Aram and prayed. He wanted to make sure that God chose the right person who would inherit all his master's wealth. He asked God for a sign saying, "Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a young woman, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too'—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master" (Genesis 24:12-14).
I have read this story many times, and I totally skipped over this impossible ask. How could a young girl give water to ten camels, each drinking an average of thirty gallons each? That's a total of three hundred gallons of water! The Bible tells us that before the servant finished praying in his heart, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder (Genesis 24:15). She was the daughter of Abraham's nephew, Bethuel (a relative), and his name also means the house of God. The Lord showed me that He kept Rebekah in His house with Bethuel until Abraham's servant came so she could be released, by Him, to go with the servant and fulfill her calling of being in God's Kingdom plan.
Rebekah is described as "...very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her" (Genesis 24:16). Her purity was something noticeable! Often, in wealthy and royal families, the virgin daughters were given garments that distinguished them as such (2 Samuel 13:18). Widows and harlots had clothes that designated their status too (Genesis 38:14-15). This is so different from today! Rebekah was called beautiful, but the only description we are given of her beauty is in the fact that she had kept herself a virgin, consecrated for her calling in God's house, the house of Bethuel. Her inward character was reflected in her outward appearance (1 Timothy 2:9-10; 1 Peter 3:3-4)
"...She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.
"The servant hurried to meet her and said, 'Please give me a little water from your jar.'
"'Drink, my lord,' she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.
"After she had given him a drink, she said, 'I'll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.' So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful." (Genesis 24:16-21)
Set to Inherit Everything
The servant knew Rebekah was the one. He took out a gold nose ring and two gold bracelets and put them on her. Rebekah means: nook or to tie with. By the servant doing that, he was enacting a prophetic sign fulfilling the meaning of her name. The act was done as if to say, "You are now tied to the promise because you have consecrated yourself in the house of the Lord." He then asked her two very prophetic questions. The first: Whose daughter are you? And the second: Is there room in your father's house for the camels to come? (See Genesis 24:23.)
It was at that moment of reading this portion of the passage, that the Holy Spirit began to stir up my spirit. Because of Rebekah's relationship to Abraham, she qualified to become Isaac's wife and inherit everything. Likewise, we are to give thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light (Colossians 1:12).
"For if you truly belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:29)
The Holy Spirit pointed out Rebekah's service to me. She served the camels without expecting to inherit what they were carrying. She was not offering to put a bowl of water out for a thirsty puppy dog, but for ten loaded camels. She went the "extra mile" and beyond her capabilities. (Photo via Unsplash)
She also moved in faith, and when she was asked by a stranger, "Do you have room for the camels?" Her answer was full of faith. She said, "We have plenty of room" (Genesis 24:25).
When the servant arrived at Bethuel's home, we read about him telling Rebekah's family, "The Lord has blessed my master (Abraham) abundantly, and he has become wealthy. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys" (Genesis 24:35 emphasis mine). The camels were there as a visual display of that great wealth, and they represented a large component of the wealth of his master.
At that moment, her family agreed with Abraham's servant and declared, "The answer has come from the Lord." They blessed Rebekah and said to her: "Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess the cities of their enemies" (Genesis 24:60). At that moment, Rebekah was no longer serving the camels, she was riding on top of the camel.
It was after reading that portion that the Holy Spirit started speaking, telling us that the month of May will be a time of appointments for the greatest generational wealth transfer that we have ever seen. This is all because the God who has already blessed us with all heavenly blessings has ordered the ten camels to come home.
There Is No Back-Up Plan
This is what I heard the sweet voice of the Holy Spirit say in my prayer, "You are entering a month where My grace and favor will abound. This will be a month marked by unusual grace and favor, and your obedience and faith will be the qualification to receive abundant grace. This is not for the faint-hearted, but for those who will step up and believe that My greatest desire is to bless them.
"I have a great plan for your life. I do not have a back-up plan. The camels are coming! The biggest question is: Do you have room for the camels? I am not only a promise maker, I am a promise keeper. It may seem to you that you are running out of time, but I am outside of time. The blessing that is coming is from Me, and no one can do anything about it. Your journey will be marked by success. I am not only sending My angels before you...My Spirit is working in and through you to guide and let you in even when the doors are shut.
"I am shaking the foundations and removing anything that's hindering or stopping you, and I will make your journey successful—just like I was with Joseph, he was a successful man, and he found great favor before the Pharaoh.
Time for You to Ride the Camels
"I am pouring out My divine grace in measures you have never seen before. If Rebekah was blessed to increase thousands upon thousands, how much will I enlarge your territory and increase the work of your hands? Because of her sacrifice and obedience she was no longer serving the camels, rather, she was riding on the camels. The time is coming for you to ride the camels. Possess all things that I have sent your way.
"When Isaac saw her sitting on the camels, he knew that those camels were carrying not only the material resources of his father, but the promise of his future wife who was chosen by God. Because of the covenant that's between you and My Son, Jesus, get ready for a fresh outpouring of grace. In Him you have received grace upon grace.
"This grace will be manifesting in magnificent ways you have never experienced before. It will happen in the most random places and least expected times. For I am the God who sees and who rewards publicly. Your promise is coming, for I am not a man that I should lie. I never slumber, nor sleep. I am awake, and if I am awake, you need to rest. You are the child of the Most High King, and the blessings of Abraham belong to you. I am leading you through a journey of success, not confusion.
"The difficulty you are facing is not a sign of My absence, rather My presence. Keep awake and watch for the divine appointments I'm working on [that] will release the greatest generational wealth that you have ever seen. Get ready and stay watchful, for My Spirit will speak in due time and those who have ears will hear what the Spirit is saying in the month of May."
