These character actors are woven in and out of small scenes, with fleeting walk-on parts on the stage’s apron, or treated like props of major actors.
King Og of Bashan was the last survivor of the Rephaim (Hebrew for giants). Meaning, there were giants like him but they had all perished in wars against the Israelites.
How big was he? Definitely much bigger than Goliath, whom we meet much later during David’s time.
Og’s bed was made of iron and was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide. Today, he’d make a great basketball player.
We meet Og in the Bible just after the powerful Amorite King Sihon of Heshbon was ruined by the Israelites. Og was not cowed. He knew he was even more powerful and desired no peace. He trusted his own strength, which hardened his heart. Not even the slaying of all the other giants of Bashan weakened his spirit.
Formidable as he was with his bulk and size, Og led out his whole army to meet the Israelites in battle.
This was the scene that confronted Moses. But the Lord told Him in Deuteronomy 3: 2 (NLT), “'Do not be afraid of him, for I have given you victory over Og and his entire army, and I will give you all his land . . .” ”
And so Og was killed, his whole kingdom totally captured; his walled cities, fortified towns, and locked gates wholly destroyed. The Israelites kept all his livestock and everything else of value.
Og, "whose height was like the height of the cedars, whose strength was like the oaks,” became his conquerors’ monument of greatness, and their work was done.
It had to be an Og, a ferocious giant, to show believers through all generations that no enemy is too big to vanquish if God is with us.
No sin is too big for God’s grace to turn into nothing. Just believe; just receive.
Note: This is the third in a series of eight posts on "The Greatest Play Ever Written.
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