We use cookies to collect general visitor statistics but not personal information. Privacy policy

Facing the giants Sihon and Og

God helps the Israelites overcome two giants and their armies.
Contributed by Richard Gunther
Story also available on our translated websites: Spanish, Portuguese
1
There lived in the land that God had promised to His people, some very powerful and wicked men, who were so much taller and stronger than anyone else. – Slide 1
2
These giants ruled their land by fear. – Slide 2
3
When Moses and the Israelites reached the Promise Land they sent 12 spies to find out all they could about the people who lived there. – Slide 3
4
But when the 12 spies returned, 10 of them brought a terrifying report. ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are. We felt like grasshoppers they were so big. The cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw giants there.’ – Slide 4
5
Two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, had seen the giants, but were not afraid. ‘The Lord our God will fight for us,’ they said. But everyone was so scared they would not go on. As a result the Israelites wandered around in the wilderness for 40 years, too frightened to enter the Promised Land. – Slide 5
6
After 40 years all those who lived by fear and not faith had died. Moses then told the people to put their trust in God and march to capture the land on the eastern side of the river Jordan. <br/>Ahead of them was the land of the Amorites led by a gigantic King called Sihon. – Slide 6
7
They sent messengers to King Sihon asking for permission to pass peacefully through his land but he refused. Powerful King Sihon gathered a large army to fight them. This time the Israelites did not run away, but trusted God and marched to fight the mighty Sihon and his army. – Slide 7
8
God gave His people an amazing victory. King Sihon and his army were defeated and the land between the Arnon and Jabbok river valleys was captured. – Slide 8
9
Ahead of them was another great challenge. The land of Bashan was ruled by an even bigger giant, King Og. – Slide 9
10
King Og and his army had a reputation for being ‘as tall as the cedar trees and strong as the oaks’ (Amos 2:9). King Og ruled over 60 fortified cities. He was known as one of Rephaim meaning ‘terrible ones’. The Rephaim were giants and fierce fighters. – Slide 10
11
King Og could have been between 8-12 ft (2.74- 3.96m) tall. – Slide 11
12
We estimate this because he had a bed (or coffin) made of hard black rock (or iron) which was nine cubits in length and four cubits in width. That’s 13.5 foot (4.11m) long and 6 foot (1.82m) wide (Deuteronomy 3:11). – Slide 12
13
The Lord said to Moses, ‘Do not be afraid of King Og, 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.’ The Israelites marched along the road towards Bashan while King Og and his army marched out to fight them at a place called Edrei. – Slide 13
14
God gave Moses and the Israelites victory. King Og was struck down, together with his sons and his whole army, leaving them no survivors. The Israelites later wrote psalms commemorating the great victory God gave them over these giants. ‘God struck down many nations and killed mighty kings. <br/>Sihon, king of the Amorites – Og, king of Bashan.’ (Psalms 135:11 and 136:20). – Slide 14
15
God had promised Moses that He would start to make all the other nations afraid of them. ‘They will tremble with fear when anyone mentions you, and they will be terrified when you show up’ (Deuteronomy 2:25). Even the most powerful Canaanite kings began to fear the power of God. – Slide 15
16
As a result God’s people were no longer too scared to face the giants and powerful armies that lay ahead. – Slide 16
17
They learned to trust God no matter how big the problem. – Slide 17
18
God asks us to trust Him too. There is no-one or no problem that is too big or powerful for God. – Slide 18
19
Slide 19