Journey Through Esther, Ezra & Nehemiahഉദാഹരണം

The Character of Esther: In Front of the Text

Esther’s journey deeper into her own calling, character formation and competence was catalyzed by crisis. This makes her story relevant for the Diaspora community she represented. It also makes this book as useful for people of faith as the stories of Job, Joseph, Moses, David and Daniel. Let’s take a look at a former Muslim whose decision to claim solidarity with his Christian identity put his life at risk.

Christianity Today: Moments of Crisis*

Esther enters a critical moment in chapter 4. The Jewish crisis became real to Esther. So real, she chose to take a proactive role in the salvation of her people. Her character was significantly transformed as a result.

What happened to Esther is not unique. Church history is filled with examples of people’s lives altered at a moment of crisis.

Nabeel Qureshi documents a systematic progression to his own moment of crisis. Raised a devout Muslim, Nabeel went through a series of realizations and encounters to a moment where he took up the cross, at the expense of his family.

Crisis, Character, Calling, Competence & Community

We have seen how the story of Esther turns on her character development, especially when the crisis of Haman’s edict became known. She moves from passive to active, from hiding to directing.

That crisis is a catalyst for what we might describe as Esther’s sense of “calling.” Mordecai helps her see that she is indeed the one suited to the task—as dangerous as it is—of saving her people.

What the rest of the story tracks is Esther’s competent leadership. She tells (“commands”) those in authority what to do. She executes a dramatic and clever plan that she alone has hatched. And in the heat of battle, she shows a cool commitment to make sure every last enemy is extinguished.

The circle around the next diagram demonstrates that, while the crisis is at the center of her transformation, the community is the larger context for her rise to the occasion. Mordecai appeals to her to protect her people, and this is the basis of her appeal to the king. Esther is not simply a book about a remarkable individual. It is about the savior of a people, and she risked everything.

Wrap-up

Nicole wraps up this lesson about Esther as a model of courage and competence, and the story celebrated by a community every year because God rescued his chosen people.

*A link to the full Christianity Today article can be found at the end of Day 15.