In the Book of Numbers, we meet a man named Og, the king of Bashan. He was enormous, remembered for a bed about thirteen and a half feet long, a detail Moses includes to help us grasp just how intimidating he must have been. Bashan itself was a rich and fertile land, known for its abundance, a place anyone would want to settle. Yet Og stood in the way, a living obstacle between God’s people and God’s promise. Scripture returns to this story again and again to make a simple but powerful point: if God can defeat Og, He can defeat anything. Moses later reminded the people, “It is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). The size of the enemy only served to highlight the strength of God.
It is not difficult to recognize a few “Ogs” in daily life. They may not require a thirteen-foot bed, but they still feel large enough to block the road ahead. Fear, uncertainty, old habits, and unexpected challenges can stand in front of us like unwelcome gatekeepers. Like Israel, we sometimes look at the situation and quietly decide that retreat sounds like a reasonable plan. After all, Og did not exactly look like someone you would invite over for a friendly conversation. Yet God spoke clearly in Numbers 21:34: “Do not be afraid of him… I have given him into your hand.” The people heard, believed, and obeyed, and the result was victory. It turns out that what seemed impossible began to move when they trusted what God had said rather than what they saw.
This pattern finds its fullest meaning in Jesus. The New Testament teaches that the greatest enemies we face are not merely external obstacles but sin and fear themselves. Through Christ, God deals with both. “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). The victory over Og points forward to a greater victory at the cross, where Jesus overcame what we could not. He assures His followers, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20), echoing the same promise given long ago. The land before Israel was real, but so is the life Christ secures. The same God who led His people into Bashan still leads His people today, proving that no obstacle, however large, has the final word.