In Front | Crisis, Character, Calling, Competence and 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 this 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.