Sunday, December 28, 2025
God’s power surpasses every overwhelming obstacle we face today.
After the exodus from Egypt, the journey to Canaan involved significant conflicts, including major battles led by Moses before crossing the Jordan (against Sihon and Og) and numerous campaigns under Joshua (like Jericho, Ai, and later confederacies in the South and North), totalling many confrontations during the forty years in the wilderness.
OG: A GIANT BIGGER THAN GOLIATH
My journey to my personal promise land has been full of hurdles and obstacles. Likewise were many obstacles along the way that the Israelites had to encounter on their way to Canaan. One of them was King Og of Bashan, a giant Amorite king described in the Old Testament (Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua) as a fearsome ruler of sixty cities who was the last of the mighty Rephaim giants. His huge iron bed (or sarcophagus) measured nine cubits by four cubits (approximately 13.5 ft by 6 ft), a testament to his immense stature. His colossal size is even bigger than Goliath who David had famously slew.
Og king of Bashan was the last of the Rephaites. His bed was decorated with iron and was more than nine cubits long and four cubits wide (Deut 3:11)
If we compare Goliath with King Og, we find that King Og was much taller. Goliath was about 9 feet 9 inches tall. But King Og was much taller, at least 11 feet tall. Some scholars even believe that King Og was as tall as 18 feet! He was the most feared giant in the Bible!
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| Goliath vs King Og in size |
MOSES DEFEATED OG OF BASHAN
King Og, refused passage to the Israelites, attacked them at Edrei, but was decisively defeated by God's help, with Israel conquering his kingdom of Bashan, just as they had with King Sihon before him, fulfilling God's promise to give them the land. This event is detailed in Numbers 21:21-35 and Deuteronomy 3, showing God's faithfulness and Israel's growing power.
Next we turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan with his whole army marched out to meet us in battle at Edrei. The Lord said to me, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.” So the Lord our God also gave into our hands Og king of Bashan and all his army (Duet 3:1-3).
So whatever GIANTS that you are facing, do not be afraid, for the grace of God will deliver victory to you – be it fear, illness, or financial problems. God is faithful and can overcome any of our enemies, no matter how fearsome or how big they are. Og symbolizes opposition that seems impossible to overcome. Yet, his downfall serves as a reminder that no enemy can stand against God when He fights for His people.
Amen!
