GOATs of the Old TestamentSample

Is Esther the GOAT in the Bible?

If you were a massive underdog with no status or position would you risk your life to help others? Esther's story of courage and faith is an amazing example of how to trust God as she puts her life on the line. Our prayer is that her boldness inspires you to act courageously for the good of those around you.

Career Stats and Highlights:

• Esther was an orphan girl living as a captive in a foreign land
• She won a nationwide beauty contest that required 12 months of “charm” school
• After winning the beauty contest she was pronounced Queen of Persia
• The day Esther was crowned Queen was made a national holiday by King Xerxes
• Esther courageously approached King Xerxes knowing that he could kill her for her bold action
• An entire book of the Bible is named for her alone and describes her selfless bravery
• God is never mentioned in the Book of Esther, but His sovereign control of events is clearly evident
• Esther’s courageous line, “If I perish, I perish” is one of the gutsiest statements in the Bible.
• Through Esther’s bravery and planning, God saves the Jewish people, judges the evil Haman, and honors Mordecai.

Everything seemed stacked against Esther. Her parents were dead and she was a Jewish girl held captive in Persia. If that did not make her a big enough underdog, a law was passed making it legal to murder her and every Jew in Persia.

Esther and her uncle Mordecai developed a very bold and risky plan. Esther would enter a nationwide beauty contest where the winner would be crowned the new queen. They stepped out in faith, trusting that God was sovereignly working behind the scenes. Esther wins the contest and becomes the new queen.

Mordecai tells Esther that she has been given her position as queen for such a time as this. However, if she is not willing to serve God to save the Jews, God would raise up someone else to do it. If that had happened, Esther would have missed the blessing of being used by The Most High God to save her people. Esther uses the position she has been given, risking her own life, to save many from death.

God may have placed you in your sport, on your team, for such a time as this. There are many in your sport and life who desperately need you to…

Courageously use your position to serve and save others

Developing the GOAT in You?

1. Fun Fact: The Book of Esther is the only book of the Bible where God is never mentioned. However, He can be seen working behind the scenes throughout the entire story. How might God be working in unseen ways in your life and in those around you?
2. Haman desired honor for himself but God turned it around so Haman had to publicly honor his rival, Mordecai. Confess to our merciful and forgiving God those times in your life or sport when you sought your own glory.
3. Esther’s brave line, “If I perish, I perish” would make a great quote for a motivational poster on a locker room wall. Given the potential cost to Esther, and how God used her to save her people, what are some risks you can take this week to bless people in your sport and life?