For only Og, king of Bashan, remained of the remnant of giants, behold his bedstead was a bedstead of iron, is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? Nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits was the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man. Deuteronomy 3:11
That Og was a giant we have no doubt, but there is no way he could have been big enough to fill his bed. If we count a cubit at 18 inches, he would need to have been some 15 feet (4.5 meters) tall to take up the entire length, and we know that is impossible. Goliath of Gath, the Philistine who David slew, was ‘six cubits and a span’, about three meters. Og unlikely exceeded that by much. So why was Og’s bed so huge? Why did he need – or believe he needed – such a massive one?
May I suggest two reasons for such a massive bedstead? Og was either a very lazy man who spent a great deal of time in his bed, or else he used his bed for all manner of sinful sport and entertainment. Perhaps both. In either case, Og was a lowly character, despite his great size. He was of poor moral character and was not fit to be a good example to those around him. Perhaps he was considered a good king by his own people, but a man of his character was a good target for the Children of Israel. They would see this giant who was not in good physical condition and who was evil in his character, and they could be sure that such a man would not stand in their way to the Promised land.
We see in Og what so much of the world is like these days, and we need to be alert that we do not fall into the character of such a man. We need to keep ourselves healthy and clean, because our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. The world is taken up with entertainment and attractions that are becoming more filthy and depraved as the years go by. All manner of things are cropping up to capture the attentions, time, and money of people looking for a thrill, a laugh, or an easy way to do keep themselves entertained. Christians are often caught up in these things, and they take us away from our responsibility to live before God and men as the children of our Heavenly Father.
Do not be attracted to Og’s depraved and lazy lifestyle. God calls us to holy living today. -Jim MacIntosh