camels...

Camels......


Last spring, while in Australia,  several of us took a camel ride to see the sunrise over Ayers Rock ...
We left early in the morning to get instructed and saddled up on the camels which were close to the resort at which we were staying...the camels had their own individual saddles that were especially made for them and held two people each.....we left the camp and tread out through red  sand that covers the land...just before sunrise to a viewing spot where we could see the rock with the sunrise...quite spectacular ......

We rode dromedary camels with one hump.....the camels from the Gobi are bactrian camel with two humps...I can remember by the letters B-two humps like the letter or D-one hump like the letter...

The Bactrian camels are in Mongolia where my daughter and family lived.....you  rode between the humps to keep you warm...the desert camels you ride on the Top to keep you cool...that is my theory anyway.  They were designed for the environment that they ranged....

I just think of the wise men coming to visit the child, Jesus.....how many came?  Not sure, but three gilts.....they probably came on camels as that was the mode of transportation....a caravan, bearing gifts...preparation and supplies needed by Joseph and his family for their journey to Egypt. God supplied their needs through gifts given...

But, back to camels...there must have been a lot in Bible times....Job started off with three thousand and ended with six thousand...they are spoken of several times in the listing of livestock of various people.... They were used for a lot of things, their hair for spinning and fabric, milk, transportation, meat...designed for desert living....

Just think if you were Mary and Joseph,who were poor, and these men, who must have had some wealth, arrive, bowing down to this child....offering these gifts....what was running through their minds.....another thing for them to ponder and remember over the course of time....
If you were Mary, would you remember those gifts later on when your son was buried using the spices....those men who probably came on camels to worship?..so many sights, scents and events to remember....

Camels, winding  their way through time.....plodding,,carrying, possibly bringing those wise men to the child, the creator of the universe...what a picture....going down on their front knees to unload....bowing themselves to this Holy child...

Thank YOU, God for your pictures, your creation....we will bow before you....all creation....your gifts given.....great or small.....all for a purpose....

Matthew 2:1-12 The Magi Visit the Messiah

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea,during the time of King Herod,Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem  in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel."
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts(H) of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.


http://news.softpedia.com/news/10-Amazing-Facts-About-Camels-68843.shtml
http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/facts-about-camels-1654.html
Interesting & Amazing Information About Camels
A female camel is called a cow, a male camel is called a bull and a baby camel is called a calf.
The word ‘camel’ comes from the Arabic word, meaning ‘beauty’.
A common misconception is that the humps of camels are used to carry water. However, this is not true. The humps store fat, lessening heat-trapping insulation around the rest of the body.
As early as 1800 BC, camels have been used as the most common means of transport in Africa, Asia and the areas in the Arabian Peninsula. This majestic creature, wouloften help merchants carry gold, ivory, silk, incense and spices to different parts of the world and the trading capital of ‘Petra’ in Jordan.
Camels are commonly used by Bedouins, even today.
Did you know, that the longest fence in the world, which was completed in 1907, in Western Australia, would not have completed without the use of camels.?
The Bactrian camels are shorter and are able to endure varying temperatures than the Dromedaries. The Bactrian camels are also known for their longer and finer wool.
It is said that camel’s milk is an acquired taste.
Camels do not chew the food and swallow it instead. They regurgitate and chew the cud later.
Camels have thick bushy eyebrows to protect their eyes from the rays of the son.
Camels shed their coat each year.
Camels have two layers of thick eyelashes to protect them from the dust.
Camels have paddy hoofs, with two toes to protect them from sinking in the sand.
Baby camels are born without a hump
Camels have three chambers in their stomach.
Camels can eat thorny twigs without hurting its mouth.
Camels can live without water for days and even months.
A camel can drink about 200 liters of water in a day.
The body temperature of the camel rises during the day and cools off during the night.
Camels can close their nostrils or leave a small opening to prevent sand from entering inside.
The tag, ‘The Ship of the Desert’, comes from the camel’s walk. The camel moves both its legs on one side of the body at the same time, which resembles the rolling motion of a ship at sea.
Camel’s ears are very small and hairy but their hearing power is very strong .