Camel: The Judge
The camel is an unclean animal. The Hebrews did not eat it because, though it walks on two toes, it doesn’t have a split hoof. The camel is the symbol of a judge.
The camel is unclean, but this doesn’t mean that judges are bad. They teach us something about what God doesn’t want us to learn. He doesn’t want us to learn to judge other people. Judging is God’s job, not ours. Jesus said that God would judge us, if we judge others. [1]
The Bible describes God as a judge. Some people think that he is a great and terrible judge. But he is a loving judge. He judged us all already, and forgave us through Jesus on the cross. [2] This is his love.
God’s teachers teach his love; the Gospel, by showing his forgiveness through the cross. But he doesn’t want us to become judges. He wants us to forgive others as he forgave us. [3]
When thinking about a camel, we remember that we should not learn to be a judge.
camel gimel גמל - recompense, to give what is due
