Esther’s Story

MESSAGE TRANSCRIPTION: 

Well, good morning. My name is Brooke Taulbee, and I am one of the leaders here. And I want to say we are so glad you are here this morning, worshiping with us today. We’re going to continue our sermon series called Dark Horses. And by definition, Pastor Virgil introduced this last Sunday. And a dark horse story always has a little-known person unlikely to succeed who ultimately accomplishes something great. And I think there’s something inside of us that wonders, maybe just for a moment, could God use me to do something amazing? Could I be that dark horse? But then reality soon sets in. Whatever your reality looks like, it sets in, and you begin to focus on your inadequacies and the things you feel are your weaknesses. Maybe you feel it in your finances. Maybe you look around at everybody else and think, you know, I’ll never measure up to what they have. Or you’re a student here today, and you have worked and strived all year to get B’s and C’s while friends around you have effortlessly just gotten all A’s. Or maybe you’re a parent and feel inadequate in your parenting. You feel like everybody else’s kids are able to do or make the team that your kid’s not able to make. Or in your career, you find yourself in a dead-end situation. Or you may find yourself feeling spiritually inadequate. Maybe you go into a life group, and you have this Story that you tell, and someone there says, Oh yeah, that reminds me of the book of Habakkuk. It says, Da da da da da. And you’re like, What? I am still determining what’s how. Habakkuk is a book in the Bible. You can find it and read it. You know, and sometimes we find ourselves feeling inadequate. And I know that this series is for us, it’s for me, and it’s for anybody that has wrestled with that inadequacy feeling. 

So today, I want to tell you what has become one of my favorite dark horse stories. And it’s about a woman, her name is Esther, and she’s going to be represented today by the Queen of Hearts. And I’m using playing cards today so that we can keep our character straight. We have six of them. So hang on. Esther’s Story is told in the Old Testament in the book that bears her name, and I would encourage you to read that. And this whole book can be summed up in one word, and that word is drama. There is intrigue, plot twists, turns, parties, beauty pageants, murder, and conspiracy. There is nothing boring about the book of Esther. So I want to begin in chapter one with King Xerxes, he’s represented today by the King of Diamonds, and he was the most powerful King of the Persian Empire. There were 127 provinces, and that made him, at that time, the most powerful man in the world. And let me tell you, he knew it. And so, being King and the most powerful man, he decided he wanted to throw a party. That was his favorite thing. He threw a 180-day party. I mean, wild. Okay. And at the end of 180 days, he said, we’re not done. Let’s go seven more days. And I want you to invite everybody in. Susa The land that they lived in, it’s an open bar, open food. Have at it. Let’s go. 

And so on the seventh day, the Bible says of this party, the King was in high spirits. I can’t imagine why not. Right. He was in high spirits, and he said, I need you, man, to bring me my Queen, Queen Vashti. And she’s represented today by the Queen of diamonds. And I need you to bring her to me. Wearing her royal crown. Wearing only her royal crown. Do you understand what I’m saying there? She was very beautiful. Well, Vashti has none of it. She says absolutely not. She refuses the King’s request. And it makes King Xerxes very angry because you don’t do that to the King. And he banishes Vashti from the kingdom and makes it a law that she can never return. And so therefore, the King, among all of his harem of women, is left feeling very sad, lonely, and depressed without a wife. And so his advisers around him begin to see his feelings and see what’s happening with him. And they come up with this plan, and they say, we know, let’s have a beauty pageant. Let’s invite all the beautiful women of the kingdom, and let’s let you pick the most beautiful one, and she can be your Queen. Sounds like a plan. A bunch of men would get together and make, doesn’t it? Yeah. And so, of course, the King in Esther chapter 2:4 says.

 “This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it.”

Esther 2:4

So now we have all these beautiful women being rounded up, brought in, and before a young lady could go in to see the King, she had to go through 12 months of beauty treatments. 12 months. Gentlemen, can you imagine trying to wait on your wife, your girlfriend, or your daughter to get ready to go to dinner and say, I’ll be ready in August? Right. I mean, it’s insane the number of things that these women had to go through before they were ready to go in to see the King. Well, among those young women, there is our Esther. And we meet her here. And she is a Jewish orphan represented today by the Queen of hearts. And she was raised by her cousin, Mordechai. He’s represented by the ace of spades. And so, Mordecai, I can tell you a little bit about him just for a second. He was a Jewish man that was taken captive from Jerusalem under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar. And he was one of the many displaced Jewish people at that time. And they were just kind of scattered throughout the region, the Jewish people. They weren’t in captivity any longer, but they really didn’t have a home. They didn’t have a place. And Mordechai was a good man. He stepped in to raise Esther after her parents were killed. He was kind, but he had a little bit of wisdom for Esther as she went into this beauty pageant. He said, Don’t talk about where you come from. Don’t tell. Don’t tell anybody that you are a Jew. Don’t say that. Just keep it a secret. And so the Bible says in Esther, chapter two, verse seven. It says that. 

“Esther had a lovely figure and was beautiful.”. 

Esther 2:7

And so when the King meets her, he is very smitten right away. And out of all the women, he chooses Esther to be his new Queen. She’s crowned Miss Persia. She wins the beauty pageant and they declare that day a national holiday. But see, remember, the King has no idea of her background, and no one knows her nationality or her family history. And so here’s where our plot thickens a little bit from a humble orphan girl. Now to a crowned queen and the first lady. As we get into that, I want to tell you a little story about her cousin, Mordecai. And it seems like it’s an insignificant story, but I promise you, it’s going to come back around in just a few minutes and be very important. Say, Mordechai hangs out outside the palace, right outside the King’s gates. And one day, as he’s hanging out there, he overhears a couple of guards, and they’re planning the assassination of the King. So he goes to Queen Esther and tells her this. Esther, in turn, tells the King they give all the credit to Mordechai. The plot’s intercepted and those two men are actually killed. But nobody makes a big deal about what Mordecai has done. But they did write it down in the Book of Records. We’re just going to this is going to be our book of records, and we’ll come back to this in just a few moments. So after some time, King Xerxes decided, you know, I need some help administering my kingdom. 

And so he hires a man, the top ranking man, the prime minister, and his name was Haman, and he is represented today by the Joker. Haman was an ego maniac. He was a bad man who hated the Jews. He loved himself, and he wanted people to worship him. He wanted people to fear him. And when he walked by, he expected everyone to bow to him. Well, everybody did this except for one man. Can you guess who it is? Mordechai. So before we go on and I tell you how that made him feel, let me recap our characters just real quick. So first, we have King Xerxes and Queen Vashti. She refused his invitation. She’s banished from the kingdom, leaving them to need to have a beauty pageant entering Queen Esther. She is chosen. She’s raised by her cousin, Mordecai. And then Mordecai and Heyman are enemies. 

So Mordecai then is. Not bowing to Haman and makes Haman very, very angry. And so Heymann says, You know what? I want him killed, and I want all of his people killed as well. He wants to have them exterminated from that area. He says there’s no place for them here. It’s kind of like Hitler in Germany. He wants them to do away with the Jews. And so he goes in King Xerxes, and he says, Hey, I will pay you a ton of money if you’ll just let me just wipe this group off the face of the earth because they don’t belong here. They don’t fit in. We’ll just get rid of them. And Xerxes says, Okay, whatever you want. Keep your money. I don’t need it. Do whatever you want to do. Keep in mind, though, that nobody knows that the King’s precious Queen is a Jew. And nobody knows that Mordechai and the Queen are related. So Heyman gets to the King to sign off on this law and this order. And it’s given that the young, old women, and children will be killed, slaughtered, and annihilated. Well, when Mordechai hears this, he goes into mourning, and he puts on sackcloth, and he weeps, and he wails outside of the palace, and he sends word to Esther, and he says, You need to do something. This is your time. You’re inside. You can do something. And she says, You have got to be kidding me. I can’t. This is too big for me. Everybody knows that if you go uninvited to see the King and he doesn’t raise up his gold scepter, you’ll be killed. You can’t just walk into the King’s presence. And he hasn’t called me for the last 30 days. Do you understand what I’m saying? So I don’t think right now is a good time for me to walk into his presence and reveal my secret heritage and tell him all the things about me and that I’m a Jew and ask for favors from him. Because if you remember the last time that last Queen, she breached the protocol, she was banished from the kingdom. She said It was too much. I can’t do it. So Mordechai says to her in Esther, chapter four, he says,. 

“Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die.’

Esther 4:13-14 (NLT)

Well, that’s not exactly probably what Esther was hoping to hear, right? That’s not the pep talk she was looking for. He’s reminding her, though, in that verse that, hey, just because you’re the Queen and you live this plush life, and you’re protected on the inside, and you have housekeepers and maids and a closet full of designer clothes, you’re still Jewish. This decree it’s going to apply to you and to all those that are close to you as well. And Mordechai, at that moment, makes her think about her purpose in life. What is the reason that you’re here? Why are your are you here? And at the end of Esther 4:14, it says. 

    “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this”

Esther 4:14

Now, in that verse, Mordechai is saying to his cousin, Don’t underestimate where God has placed you at this moment. Perhaps this is why you were the orphan that is now raised to be the Queen and the First Lady. Now is the time, Esther. Now is when you need to say yes and step into this. And if you miss that God-ordained moment, you know he has other things. He’s got another way. He’ll take care of this. But this is your chance to be a part of something amazing. Who knows? Maybe your royal position. It is for such a time as this. Mordechai remembered the promise that God made to Abraham centuries ago, that he would bless the entire world through the Jewish nation. That a savior for the entire world would come from the Jewish nation, that somehow he knew in the long term God had a plan here. And God wanted to do something through Esther to fulfill his purpose inside of her. But at that moment. She didn’t know if she could do it. She. She was possibly going to let fear and inadequacies overcome her. You see, instead of being overwhelmed by inadequacy. 

Dark Horses stand with COURAGE. 

Dark Horses stand with courage. You know, you might be a dark horse where you are right now in your life. Maybe as a parent of any aged child, you’re struggling. And maybe you wonder, I don’t even know how to do this parenting thing. I’m inadequate. I’m not good at it. I don’t know what to do. But can I say something to you this morning? Can I tell you that you are the parent that’s in your child’s life for a reason? God placed you there for such a time as this. Or maybe you’re a boss or a business leader. And things are tough and things are tight and you could move your numbers up and to the right, and you could really do well for yourself, but it would take some dishonesty. Can I say something to you? Don’t go the dishonest route. Be bold. Be brave. Step out in courage because you may just be that high-integrity leader that your company needs for such a time as this. Or maybe you’re a student, and you feel that tug in your heart to make a stand for Jesus on your campus, in your school. And it’s going to be hard, and there’s going to be ridiculed. And you may be excluded from things or activities, but can I say something to you? God has put you there for such a time as this. Or maybe here at East Side, you feel it’s time to step out of your comfort zone into maybe a life group or into a serving opportunity. And can I say something to you? Be bold, be courageous. Will it be scary? Will you feel inadequate? Yes. Step into that because God has a plan for you, and he wants to bless you for such a time as this. You see, Esther had a choice. 

Courage is always a CHOICE. 

Courage is always a choice. And that brings us to our final dramatic scene of Esther. And this is after hearing Mordechai for such a time as this speech. There’s kind of this internal struggle going on inside of Esther, and she sends back a message to Mordechai and to the Jewish people. She says I need you to fast and pray for me for three days. And so can I say this morning prayer is one of the least used tools that we have. When you commit to prayer, things change. That’s where you find the clarity and courage that you need when you’re moving into a decision may, be that you need to make it. Last week. Pastor Virgil introduced us to the 21 days of prayer. And in case you missed that, I would encourage you to. 

Text your NAME to. 

859-661-5373  

It is not too late because, in church, something happens when a group of believers committed to praying together. So if you happen to miss that, I would encourage you to text that number today. So after asking for prayer, Esther tells Mordechai, she says. 

 “Then I will go in to the king, which is against the law. And if I die, I die.”

Esther 4:16 (NLV)

So talk about a shift in five short verses. She goes from this is too big, it’s too risky, it’s too hard. I can’t do this. I’m scared to death. I couldn’t make a difference. Okay, Mordechai, you’re right. Maybe this is the reason that I’m here. So I’m going to go. And if I die, well, I die. And, you know, you might be sitting here today, and you may be thinking to yourself, I’m full of regret, of opportunities, missed opportunities. And time passed. When I sat in comfort and didn’t step out in courage. But can I tell you today you are one brave decision away from the most amazing adventure and blessing that God has for you in your life? And so Esther said those powerful words. She said, If I die, then I die. And so I want to use that sentence for a moment. And I want us to think about what we would put in those blanks. 

If Blank happens, Blank then.

In that first blank. I don’t want you to write anything. I just want you to think about your worst fear. Maybe it’s a recurring fear. Maybe it’s something you just can’t shake. Maybe it’s something that’s just kind of this impending doom that you feel. Maybe if that biopsy comes back positive, then my life will feel like it’s over. Or if the bank forecloses on our house, then I’ve let my family down. How would you fill in your blank? If I’m pregnant, then everybody’s going to talk about me. If she falls for divorce, then I’ll be left all alone. Let me tell you what the enemy wants to do with that first blank. Whatever that fear is. He wants you to be consumed by that fear, whatever it is, whatever challenge, whatever thing you would put there. He wants that to mess with your mind and make you think that you could never come back from that. And that’s why I think it’s crucial for us to fill in the second blank before we put anything in that first blank. Because if. 

Blank happens, then GOD. 

Then God. God is bigger, stronger, and Mightier and can take care of whatever it is that you may put in that first blank. Whatever. Whatever it is, God is always the answer to whatever it is you would put in that first blank. So Esther takes this step of faith. She says You know what? I’m going. And if you can imagine her walking down the hallway towards King Xerxes’s room. Knowing that with each fearful step, she’s one step closer to her death. And you remember, if he doesn’t extend the golden scepter, it’s a capital offense to come into the King’s presence uninvited. So she comes into view, and all the guards, the Secret Service, they’re all standing there just waiting for the nod to take her out. And when he sees her, she finds favor with him and she’s clothed in her royal robes and in confidence. And she comes into his presence, and he says, What is it, Queen Esther? What do you need? What can I do for you? Up to half the kingdom I will give to you. Just ask, and it’s yours. And Esther’s thinking probably. Wow. Okay. Things are going a little better than I thought they might be going. At this point, I’m still alive, so that’s good. And so she says, at that moment, I just want you and Heyman to come to have dinner with me. And he says, Sure, consider it done. Let’s do that. 

So the three of them sit down that night to dinner. Haman is The one who came up with the plan to murder the Jews, the King, and the Queen. And they are the King. Ask her again. What is it, Esther? What do you need? What do you want it? It’s yours. Just ask. And she says. Why don’t you come back tomorrow night? Let’s have another dinner. You can feel the tension kind of building, right? And I don’t know why she didn’t just say it right then. I imagine maybe there was still some fear and doubt inside of her. But in Heyman’s mind, he thinks he is something. He has arrived. He’s had dinner with the King and Queen. Not one night, but he’s been invited to come back again the next night. And so, I can only imagine that he is just skipping out of the palace that night on his way home. And as he passes the King’s Gate, remember Mordechai, Esther’s cousin sits there. He doesn’t bow to Heyman. And all this time it makes him so angry once again. And he gets home and talks to his friends and his wife about it. And he says, this one man, Oh, he burns me up. He will not bow to me. And she’s like. Why don’t you just have some gallows made in the front yard 75 feet tall. Just hang him tomorrow and then go to your dinner and have a good time. Like she had a plan. Just do that. But remember, he had no idea that Mordecai and the Queen were related. 

So they start building in Hammond’s front yard, these gallows for Mordechai to be hanged on the next day. But at the same time, the King is in his palace, and he can’t sleep. And so he asks his men to bring me that book of the records. And they turn to that page from four years prior when Mordecai saved the King. From that assassination plot, remember? And he says, Did we ever do anything for Mordechai? We need to honor him. And so the next morning, as Heyman comes into his office, super excited for their dinner that night, he says, Hey, man, hold on. What do you think a king should do if I really want to honor somebody? Well, of course, Heyman’s thinking, Oh, that’s me. He wants to honor me. He says, Well, I think you should put your robe on him and your crest on the head and, oh, let him ride your horse and then lead them through town so everybody can pay honor. Well, the King says that’s a great idea. Quick. All that stuff you just said. Go do that for Mordecai. Can you imagine Heyman’s response? Like, what have Gallo’s being made in my yard right now to hang him on, and he wants me to. Very confused. Very confused. So he goes out and he does just that. He honors Mordecai through town. Later that night, Heyman, the King, and the Queen, sit down again for that second dinner. And there again, the King says, Queen Esther, what is it? What is it that you want? Your request. You can have anything up to half the kingdom. And she takes that deep breath, and very humbly, she says. 

“If I have found favor with you… grant me this…I’m asking that you would spare my life…spare my people…for we have been sold for destruction, slaughter and annihilation.”

Esther 4:3-4 (Paraphrase)

Well, at that moment, Heyman realizes, sitting across the table, Oh, wow, she’s a Jew. And the King says, Well, who would do such a thing to you and your people? And she looks, and she points at Haman. And she said it was him. He’s sitting right next to you. Well, he gets so angry. Storms out of the room. As he storms out of the room, Haman falls toward Queen Esther to beg for his life. And at that moment, I can imagine him tripping over that Persian rug and landing in a very awkward position on top of Queen Esther as the King comes back in. And, of course, the King’s already angry, and he says, Are you kidding me? You’re going to molest my wife, too. I mean, Haman is not in a really great place right here. And so at that moment, I can imagine there’s an attendant standing off to the side, and he’s like, Hey, yeah, I know you kind of got a lot going on right here, and I hate to interrupt, but when I came in to work this morning, I passed Haman’s house, and he’s got these 75-foot gallows out in his yard. And I think they were to hang Mordecai on today. That guy that saved your life and raised your Queen. And Xerxes says. Hmm. I think that’s the perfect place. And so their Haman is executed in his own front yard, on gallows. That was prepared for Mordecai, the Queen’s cousin. 

So this Story has so many twists and turns, but it’s not finished yet. Esther is given all of Haman’s riches. Her cousin Mordechai becomes the new prime minister, and all of the Jews are saved. Now, some of you need to hear this morning. Some of you are looking at your life, and you feel so inadequate, maybe in your career or your marriage, or your parenting. Or maybe you just don’t like the hand that you’ve been dealt altogether. And maybe you wonder, God, I don’t even know where you are right now. But one of the most intriguing things that I love about the Book of Esther is that God’s name is actually never mentioned. It’s the only book in the Bible where God’s name is not mentioned. But I don’t want us to confuse God’s name not being in it with God, not being in it. You see. 

The hiddenness of God is not the absence of God… He’s ALL OVER this story…and He is all over your story too.

I mean, could it just so happen that Vashti is banished at the very time that Esther is eligible for the beauty pageant. And could it just so happen that out of all of those beautiful women that Esther, an orphan Jewish girl, is chosen. Could it just so happen that the Jewish nation would face annihilation at the exact time that that Queen comes into power, and she happens to be Jewish as well? Could it just so happen that although it was against the law and the King didn’t have a reputation for tolerating those disrespectful wives, Esther won favor with the King? And could it just so happen that while a plot is being carried out to kill Mordecai, the King has a sleepless night and his bedtime story is all about Mordecai saving his life. And could it just so happen? The gallows for Haman was already built by none other than Haman himself in his own front yard. And could it just so happen that all of this would take place at a time that the Jewish community was scattered and displaced, that they come back together and are stronger? Then they ever were? 

No. Church. That’s God. That’s his hand moving across the Story. In Esther, moving behind the scenes, orchestrating everything that is happening. And I believe God chose this book without his name being mentioned so that you and I could take courage in our dark horse story. Maybe you’ve been in three seasons of your life, and you couldn’t figure out where God was. But when you turn and look back over the years, you say, Oh yeah, I see it. He was leading me. He was guiding me all along the way. Or maybe you’re in a season right now of your life where you just can’t figure out where God is at all. Sometimes we’re so close to it. Sometimes we’re in that season when you’re not even sure where God is at all. You know, I think God gives us this Story of Esther so that we would know that even though you don’t see his name on a page, he’s there, and he’s here for you this morning, and I want you to hear me say, don’t be afraid. Be brave. You are not alone. And no matter what your if then statement looks like, I want you to realize that whatever it is you would put in that first blank, whatever that fear is, whatever the inadequacy is in your life, then God. God is the answer to whatever it is that has you bound in fear or shame. God is big enough. He’s strong enough. His promises are sure to carry you through whatever would you would put in that first blank. And I encourage you this morning to think about what you would put right there. But more than that, I encourage you to step out in faith and trust God with your situation. You see, if we’re going to live these courageous, dark horse lives, we have to know that we don’t have to be the hero of the Story. The hero. God is already at work. We just have to be willing to trust him and say yes when he asks us to move. Because he has placed you right where you are for such a time. Is this? Would you bow your heads this morning? 

Father. I just thank you that you are bigger. And stronger and more powerful than whatever it is that we would put in that first blank, whatever it is. Father, I pray that we would open-handedly give you our fears and our inadequacies and that we would courageously step into them. The purpose is that you have called for us so that we would say yes to you. Father. May our eyes and hearts be open today to meet you right where you are. Lord, we love you. We praise you. And I pray that you would just give us the courage that we need to take that step. It’s in Jesus’s name. Amen.