King Og’s iron bed
A Tale of Giants and Faith
There are stories that glue you to the edge of your seat. Stories where David takes on Goliath, where the small triumphs over the mighty. But what if I told you a story about a bed? A bed so massive you could comfortably sleep four people side-by-side on it, with room left over for the dog… (Just kidding!)
In the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 3, verse 11, we find a rather striking mention. The biblical writer isn’t just casually chatting about furniture; no, he’s talking about King Og’s bed. Nine cubits long, four cubits wide. If we convert that to our measurements, we’re talking about more than four and a half meters long and nearly two meters wide. And made of iron, no less! Why on earth would anyone bother to write something like that down?
The last of his kind
King Og wasn’t just any ordinary man. He belonged to the Rephaim, a race of giants that once roamed the ancient world. Imagine this: you’re walking through the streets of your town, and suddenly, a colossal figure stands before you. It must have felt like facing a living cathedral of flesh and blood.
Og was the last of his line, a relic from a time when giants walked the earth. His bed – that iron behemoth – wasn’t just a place to sleep. It was a monument, proof of his very existence. Long after Og had been killed, that bed still stood in the city of Rabbah, a silent witness to a bygone era.
Fear that lasts forty years
Forty years earlier, the Israelites had already stood at the border of the Promised Land. They sent out scouts, twelve strong. What did they bring back? Stories that scared the living daylights out of everyone. “Men of great stature,” they reported. “Cities fortified to the heavens.”
The people panicked. They wanted to go back to Egypt, back to slavery – anything was better than facing these giants. For forty years, they wandered through the desert, an entire generation. Forty years for that fear to subside, for a new people to grow up.
Now, their children faced the same challenge. The same giants, the same fortified cities. And there was Og, the biggest of them all.
More than just a story about furniture
So why did Moses tell his people about that bed? Because he wanted to show them what God had done for them. “Look,” he’s essentially saying, “you’ve heard about those giants. Your parents were terrified of them. But this Og – this colossus with his iron bed – we defeated him. God delivered him into our hands.”
It’s top-notch psychology. By first emphasizing the enormity of the enemy – just look at his bed! – the victory becomes all the more impressive. It’s like telling someone how you defeated a bear and then showing them its hide as proof. That bed was tangible evidence. Everyone could look at it, knock on it, measure its dimensions. “See?” every Israelite could say, “He was that big. And yet, we won.”
The power of the concrete
There’s a deep wisdom hidden in this story. Faith isn’t just about pretty words and abstract concepts. Sometimes you need concrete things, tangible proof you can touch and see. That iron bed was exactly that kind of proof.
For the new generation of Israelites, about to enter the Promised Land, this story was a powerful message: if God helped you defeat Og – this giant with his enormous bed – then He can help you with whatever else lies ahead.
A bed that speaks
Og’s bed symbolizes something much bigger. It represents all the obstacles that seem insurmountable, all the challenges that appear too great. But it also reminds us that no enemy is so huge that they cannot be defeated, no challenge so high that it cannot be overcome.
Perhaps we all have our own “Bed of Og” in our lives – something that makes us anxious, something that seems impossible to conquer. The story of King Og and his iron bed whispers to us: even the biggest giant eventually falls. Even the most impressive bed eventually becomes a museum piece.
And so, centuries later, that bed still speaks. Not about the power of giants, but about a strength greater than all human enemies – no matter how imposing they may seem.
Your struggles or worries
No matter how difficult the battle in your life may be, or how mighty the enemy seems to appear, it will no longer rule over you once you become aware that with the Lord, you are able to overcome your situation or spiritual adversary. That’s why the apostle says in Romans 8:37: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Through Christ, we are not just conquerors, but “more than conquerors.” God’s love enables us to overcome every struggle.
And should you still shrink back from anything that holds you captive, remember that through your faith, you are capable of far more than you ever thought possible. This is encouraged in the Scripture from Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” It reminds us that, just as Israel could defeat mighty kings by God’s power, we too are able to face and overcome all challenges in our lives through the strength Christ gives us.
@wimvanputten