Genesis 38 - Praying God's Word

Please read Genesis 38.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/gen/38/1/s_38001

Meditate on verse 7.

But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the LORD,

 so the LORD took his life.

Joseph’s life story foreshadowed the coming of Jesus Christ. Why would God include such a scandalous story in the middle of it? Observe the chapter carefully, for it also contains the Christmas story.

Genesis 38 begins with God killing two men because they were evil and displeasing to Him (vs. 7, 10). The story continues with Tamar, the wife of the dead men, tricking Judah, her father-in-law, into having a physical relationship with her. He thought she was a prostitute, so he paid to have sex with her. Amazingly, God did not kill Judah and Tamar for their wickedness. In fact, God allowed Tamar to get pregnant by Judah. She gave birth to twins and named them Perez and Zerah.

The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah ...

 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar;

 Perez was the father of ...

—Matthew 1:1, 3

Genesis 38 is the graphic story about people in the lineage of Jesus! It is a chapter that is usually left out of most Advent readings. Yet, it is the reason the world needs a Christmas story. Without Christ, everyone is Er and Onan, Judah’s two sons who were struck dead by God because of their sin. All deserve to die because of their evil, displeasing acts against God and man. But God extends His love, grace, and mercy to everyone, even those who deserve it the least, just like He did to Judah and Tamar. The LORD redeemed their hopeless situation, and they became the great, great, great ... grandparents of Jesus Christ.

But God, being rich in mercy,


because of His great love with which He loved us,

even when we were dead in our transgressions,

 made us alive together with Christ.

By grace you have been saved.

—Ephesians 2:4-5

Pray Genesis 38:7 and 26 over someone for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman who needs the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

“LORD, please give ________ more time on
earth to turn from evil to You.


Make them righteous and let them stop doing what displeases You.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL  ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Genesis 37 - Praying God's Word

Please read Genesis 37.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/gen/37/1/s_37001

Meditate on verse 31.

So they took Joseph’s tunic,

and slaughtered a male goat

and dipped the tunic in the blood.

You are in the middle of Advent season, preparing yourself for the celebration of Christ’s first coming to earth 2,000 years ago.  You have observed in Genesis “Jesus sightings,” where an angel of the LORD appeared to people, and it became apparent from the conversations that the “angel” was actually the LORD (Genesis 16, 22).   Now you come to the story of Joseph.  For the next two weeks you will read the fascinating details of this man’s life.  While Joseph is not Jesus, his life has many interesting parallels to the life of Christ.  As you read, look for ways that Joseph’s story was a foreshadowing of Messiah.  Consider these parallels from Genesis 37:

* Joseph was loved by his father. Jesus is beloved by His Father (Mark 1:11).

* Joseph brought a bad report about his brothers to their father; they hated him for it.  When Christ came to earth, He exposed sin; the world hated Him for it (John 15:22-24).

* Joseph’s brothers thought they would never bow to him.  They were wrong!  People in the world think they will never bow to Christ.  They are wrong!  Someday every knee will bow to Jesus (Philippians 2:9-11).

* Joseph was mocked by his brothers. Jesus was mocked throughout His ministry and at His crucifixion (Matthew 27:29-31).

* Joseph’s brothers plotted to kill him because of envy.  The people plotted to kill Jesus because of envy (Matthew 27:17-18).

* Joseph was sold for 20 pieces of silver. Jesus was sold for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15).

* Joseph was stripped of his tunic. Jesus was stripped of His robe (Matthew 27:28). 

* Joseph’s tunic was dipped in blood. Jesus’ robe is dipped in blood (Revelation 19:13).

* Joseph was sent to Egypt. Jesus went to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15).

God’s Word is fascinating!  Just imagine what the two men on their way to Emmaus thought when Jesus explained this part of the Old Testament to them (Luke 24:13-36)!  Be amazed by your Savior like never before this Christmas as you read about Him in the story of Joseph.

As a faithful, prayerful watchman, use Genesis 37:8 and16 to pray for someone who needs to be found by the LORD and needs to submit to His rule over their life.

“LORD, like Joseph was looking for his brothers, You are searching for ________.

Please let them submit to Your reign and authority over them.

In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Genesis 36 - Praying God's Word

Please read Genesis 36.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/gen/36/1/s_36001

Meditate on verse 2a.

Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan.

Esau married daughters of Canaan. The Canaanites were idol worshippers. In defiance to his parents, Isaac and Rebekah, Esau chose to marry women who did not worship the true God, Yahweh. Esau brought their idolatrous practices into his home, and God’s Word describes his wives as bringing grief to Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 26:34-35).

If you are not yet married, choose wisely. God does not want you to marry a “Canaanite,” someone who does not love and worship the only true God, Jesus Christ. If you are already married to a “Canaanite,” pray for God to bring them to faith in Christ. Rahab was a Canaanite who chose to become a follower of Yahweh. She is in the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Joshua 2; Matthew 1:5; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25). There is hope for “Canaanites” because before you became a Christian, you, too, were one.

As a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7), use Genesis 36:2 as a reminder of how to pray for those who will someday choose their husband or wife.

“LORD, please do not let _________ marry a spiritual Canaanite.

Let them marry someone who loves You
more than they love themselves


because You hate every form of idolatry.


In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Genesis 35 - Praying God's Word

Please read Genesis 35.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/gen/35/1/s_35001

Meditate on verse 2.

Put away the foreign gods which are among you,

 and purify yourselves and change your garments.

After Jacob’s sons massacred the men of Shechem, God told Jacob to move to Bethel. Jacob obeyed, instructing his family and everyone with him to get rid of the idols among them and purify themselves. They were moving to Bethel, the place where God revealed Himself to Jacob in a dream over 20 years earlier (Genesis 28:12-13).

Thankfully Jacob did not keep his “vow of silence” from Genesis 34 or hide in shame over past foolish decisions. Genesis 35 portrays a man who led his family, instructing them to purify themselves, and teaching them about God.

What an encouraging story! Satan’s lie is that you have done such a poor job as a family member there is no hope for you or your family now or in the future. With God nothing is impossible; His mercies are new every morning (Mark 10:27; Lamentations 3:23)!

No matter what you did or did not do yesterday, take a stand for righteousness today! Speak about the faithfulness of God and be a Godly leader in your family.

Pray Genesis 35:2-3 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, may ________ and I put away the foreign gods which are among us.

Purify us, LORD!
Thank You for letting us exchange

our garment of sin for your robe of righteousness.

 Let us arise and go to Bethel, to Your house, God.

God, we will make an altar to You

 because You have answered us in our day of distress,

and You have been
with us wherever we have gone.


In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Genesis 34 - Praying God's Word

Please read Genesis 34.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/gen/34/1/s_34001

Meditate on this phrase from verse 5.

So Jacob kept silent.

Here is another chapter in God’s Word that reads like a novel, yet it is fact not fiction. These words are eternally preserved to teach you about God and life and how to do better than those who have gone before.

Many of the families in the Bible are what would be described today as dysfunctional. The root of the dysfunction was often fathers who were not present, not speaking up, and not leading their families in the way of holiness.

When Jacob heard his daughter, Dinah, was raped by Shechem, he did nothing about it; he kept silent. His silence gave Hamor, Shechem’s father, time to try to convince Jacob and his sons that their family should intermarry with his idolatrous family, settle down, buy land, and live happily ever after.

Observe this chapter carefully. Jacob did not say a word until the end of the chapter! His sons did all the talking! They deceived Hamor and Shechem, convincing them they would let the marriages begin after all the men in Shechem were circumcised. The men of Shechem agreed to the plan. After every male in the city was in pain from their circumcisions, Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, killed them all. They and their other brothers then took the women and children and pillaged their homes.

Jacob finally, selfishly spoke out, saying: “You have brought trouble on me by making me odious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and my men being few in number, they will gather together against me and attack me, and I will be destroyed, I and my household” (Genesis 34:30).

Jacob’s sons replied that their sister should not have been treated as a harlot! Since their dad refused to do anything, they handled the situation their way.

Husbands and fathers, this chapter is for you. Protect your family! Do not hesitate to speak up on their behalf. Do not hesitate to tell your children, no matter how old they are, that they cannot go visit the “pagans” of the land (Genesis 34:1). Your children do not need to attend godless parties, watch godless movies, and play godless games. You are the head of your home. Speak up!

As a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7), use Genesis 34:5 as a reminder to pray for the men in your life to not be silent and to lead their families in Godliness.

“LORD, make ________ not keep silent about You.

Help him lead and protect his family!


In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the Wall ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Genesis 33 - Praying God's Word

Please read Genesis 33.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/gen/33/1/s_33001

Meditate on verse 20.

Then he erected there an altar

 and called it El-Elohe-Israel.

Wrestling with God changed Jacob; so much so, God changed his name to Israel. And even though he walked with a limp, he was no longer crippled by fear of man because like his grandfather, Abraham, now he feared God (Genesis 22:12).

Jacob divided his family into 3 companies in Genesis 33, and rather than using them as human shields, he walked in front of them and led his family to meet Esau. Miraculously the reunion was joyous, and after Jacob and Esau met, they went their separate ways without animosity between them.

Jacob traveled on to Canaan, to the city of Shechem. The last time Shechem had been mentioned in the Bible was when Abraham first arrived to the land of Canaan nearly 200 years earlier (Genesis 12:6- 7). When he came to Shechem, God appeared to Abraham and promised him and his descendants the land. Abraham built an altar there to the LORD. It was the first altar Abraham built in the land promised to him by God.

Shechem was also the first city where Jacob stopped after returning to the land that would someday bear his new name, Israel. In Shechem, like his grandfather Abraham had done, Jacob built an altar to God and named it El-Elohe-Israel; God, the God of Israel.

Jacob, now named Israel, acknowledged that God was his God, not just the God of his ancestors, Abraham and Isaac. God was personally his God. God had sojourned with him and wrestled with him. He had blessed him and been with him in the midst of joys and fears. He was God, the God of Israel!

What about you? Is there a time and a place where you have spiritually built an altar, a place of sacrifice, where you died to yourself and acknowledged that God is your God? If not, let today be your Shechem. If you already have, thank God for the privilege of living with Him.

Pray Genesis 33:20 over yourself and your family for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, You are El-Elohe- __________.

You are God, the God of ___________,

 the God of me and my family.

Because of Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the Wall ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Genesis 32 - Praying God's Word

Please read Genesis 32.

www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/gen/32/1/s_32001

Meditate on verse 7a.

Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed.

God freed Jacob from Laban, and almost immediately forced him to face an old enemy, his brother Esau. Jacob had sent messengers to let Esau know he was coming home. The messengers returned telling Jacob his brother was coming to meet him with 400 men! Jacob assumed this welcoming party did not have good intentions (recall Jacob had tricked Esau out of a birthright and a blessing), and he quickly went into panic mode. He divided his family, the women and children, into two companies and surrounded himself with them, as if they were an army. He selected 580 of his animals, his blessings from God, to be given to Esau as a peace offering before having to face him. After his acts of desperation, Jacob put in a cry to God to deliver him.

Thankfully, in the midst of acts of faithlessness, God in His faithfulness will hear a cry for His help.

As the presents were being delivered and his wives and children were sent ahead to face the enemy, Jacob was left alone to face God. It wasn’t a pleasant encounter because God wrestled with Jacob all night. But even wrestling matches with God are meant for good, so you can be thankful when they come. The match ended with God blessing Jacob and giving him a new name, Israel. He indeed would be the father of God’s great nation as promised to his grandfather, Abraham (Genesis 12:2). The wrestling match also ended with Jacob being humbled by God; he walked the rest of his life with the limp God inflicted. That limp would always remind Jacob to fear God and not man.

Examine your life. What or who are you afraid of? What or who are you sacrificing to protect yourself? Are you giving away blessings from God because you are responding in fear to a situation?

STOP! Take a deep breath and pray Genesis 32:10-12 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, _________ and I are unworthy of
all the lovingkindness

 and of all the faithfulness which You have shown us.


Deliver us, I pray, from the hand of ____________,


for we fear them, that they will come out and attack us.

Help us to trust You and Your promises, LORD.


In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the Wall ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell