The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1892-03-24
OG, KING OF BASHAN.
DR.. TALMAGE BREACHES ABOUT THE
GIANTS BEDSTeAD.

Lessons Drawn from tho Bible Recital
of tho Encounter of the Israelites with
the Eloven Foot Henthen warrJor-A
Powerful Sermon.
BROOKLYN, March l3.--Dr. Talmage
gave another illustration this morning
IN his sermon at the Tabernacle Of his
wonderful power of drawing useful, prac-
tlcal lessons from an obscure text,
which, to the ordinary mind, seemed
incapable OF yielding any spiritual etlifi-
cation. The text was Deuteronomy iii,
ii: "Only Og, king of Bashan, re-
mained Of the remnant ofgiants; behold,
his bedstead was n bedstead of iron; is
it not in Rabbath Of the children of Am
mon? Nine cubits was the length there
of and four cubits the breadth of it,"
The story of giants is mixed with
myth. William the Conqueror was SAID
to have been Of Overtowering altitude,
but when in attertlme his tomb was
opened his bones indicated that he had
been physically of only ordinary size.
Roland the Hero was SAID to have been
OF astounding stature, but when his sep
ulcher was examined his armor was
found only large enough to fit an ordi-
nary man. Alexander the Great had
helmets and shields of enormous size
made and left among tho people whom
he had conquered, so as to give the inn
preston that he was n giant, although
he was rather under than over the usual
height of man. But that in other days
and lands there were real giants is au-
thentic. One of the guards of the Duke
OF Brunswick was eight and half feet
high. In museum In London is the
skeleton of Charles Brine, eight feet
tour inches In stature. The Emperor
MaXimin was over eight feet.
Pliny tells Of a giant nine feet high
and two other giants nine and half
feet. So l am not incredulous when l
come to my text and find King Og a
giant, and the size ofhis bedstcad, turn
ing the cubts Of the text into feet, the
bedstead OF Og, the king, must have
been about thirteen and q half feet long.
Judging from that the giant who Occu-
pied 1t was probably about eleven feet
IN stature, or nearly twice the average
human size. There was no need of
Rabbinlcal writer's trying TO account for
the presence of this giant, King Og, as
they did, by saying that he came down
from the other side of the flood, being
tall enough to wade the waters beside
Noah's ark. or that he rode on the top
OF the ark, the passengers inside tho ark
daily providing him with food. There
was nothing supernatural about him.
lie was simply Il monster in size.
Cyrus and Solomon slept on beds of
gold, end Sardanapalus had $50 bed
steads of gold burned up with him, but.
this bcdstead Of my text was of IRON
everything sacrificed for strength to hold
thus excessive avordupois, this Alp of
bone and flesh. No wonder tins couch
WAS kept as curiosity at Rabbath, and
people went from far an near to sec it
just as now people 90 to museums to
behold the armor Of the ancicnts. You
say what a fighter this giant, King o.,
must have been. No doubt OF 1t. | sup
pose the size OF his sword and breast
plate cOrrcspOnded to the size of his bed
stead, and his stride across tho battle
field and the full stroke of his arm must
have been appalling. With an armed
host he comes down to dive back the
lsraclitcs, who are marching on from
Egypt to Canaan.
We have no particulars Of the battle,
but l think the lsraelitcs trembcd when
they saw this monster OF man moving
down to crush them. Alas for the Is.
raclltcs! viii their troubles never
cease? What can men five and half
feet high do against this warrior OF
eleven ieet, and what can short swords
do against sword whose CLEAN must
have been like flash OF lightrinp? The
battle OF Edrei opened. Moses and his
army @et the giant and his army. The
Lord Of Hosts descended into the fight,
and the gigantic strides that Og had
made when advancing into the battle
were more than cqualed by the gigantic
strides with which he retreatcd. 1Iuzz /
Tor triumphant Israel! Sixty fortified
cities surrendered to them. A lard OF
indescribable opulcnce comes into their
possession, and all that is left of the
giant king is the iron bedstcad. mine
cublts was the length thereof and four
cubits the breadth Of it.'
That man has been thirty years faitl,-
fully in attendance upon churches and
prayer meetings and Sunday schools,
and putting himself among intense re-
liglOus associations. lie may have his
lmperfectiOns, but he is very good
man. Great is his religious stature.
The other man has been for thirty years
among influences intensely worldly, and
he has shut himself out from all other
influences, and his religious stature is
that of a dwarf. No man ever has been
or can be independent of his surround
ings-social, intellectual, moral. rcllg-
ious. The Bible indicates the length OF
the giant by the length of his bedstcad.
Let no man say, 81 will be good" and
yet keep evil surroundings. Let no man
say, 81 will be faithful as a Christian, :"
and yet consort chiefly with worldiings.
You are proposing an everlasting in-
possibility.
From the fact that Ns's bedstead was
thirteen and half leet long, | conclude
the giant himself was about eleven feet
high. But let no one by this thought
be induced TO surrender TO unfavorable
environments. A man can make his
own bedstead. Chantrcy and Hugh
Miller were born stoncmasons, but the
one became an immortal sculptor and
the other Christian scientist whose
| Il.