Torah must result in Halakhah – how to walk out the teaching of God in every aspect of life.

On our journey with Moses to Canaan, we must bear in mind that God’s plan of redemption for eternal life was always in mind.

The greatness of God’s gathering, again in our day, the people of Israel into their own land points to the special time that we are now in.

We must remember that God still has ongoing promises relating specifically to the people of Israel.

Israel, while in Egypt, were to live in the light of a promise given to Abraham. 400 years is a long time to wait for deliverance: though the promise was sure and true, but could sadly be forgotten over centuries of waiting.

The prophecy of Jacob over Judah is a profound statement of expectation of the coming Messiah, in which every word – indeed every letter – has meaning.

We are reminded over and over again that God knows us by name and has a particular purpose for us to fulfil.

There is no precise formula from which we can predict how things will work out in our lives, or in the way God will complete His covenant purposes in the world.

The greatness of God’s covenant lies in His mercy. How, in all His majesty and perfection, He was willing to walk with sinful men – even the fallible patriarchs of the covenant – to fulfil His promises of redemption, is awesome to contemplate.

There is much for us to learn from Jacob’s walk that helps us to understand our own walk.