| ESTHER |
| A Profile of Courage |
| Heroes act while others stand and watch. |
| "I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish." 4:16 |
| What makes a hero? Ask one, and you may find a surprising nonchalance: "I'm sure other people would have done exactly the same thing," they say. "I was just in the right place at the right time." People become heroes because they take quick action at that "right time," while others stand watching in horror. The true hero recognizes the crisis and moves to meet it. This kind of courage made Esther great - worthy of a book in the Bible. A Queen Risks Her Life By the "accident" of her beauty and the "accident of the former queen's dismissal, Esther found herself queen of one of the greatest powers of the world. Then, when all seemed smooth, her crucial moment came. This moment has been echoed many times since. As a successful racial minority in the Persian empire, Esther's people, the Jews, had not melted into their surroundings. Others were jealous their success and separatism. A vengeful prime minister, Haman, made up his mind to destroy them. He issued an edict of government-sponsored genocide. Would Queen Esther intervene? Doing so would risk her life. And what difference could she make? She was a powerless sex partner to a king who strongly preferred women who never interfered with his wishes. She came only when he called, and he had not called her for a month. And yet she alone, of all the Jews, had access to the king. Esther's cousin Mordecai reminder her of her unique place. "Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" Esther responded with action. Her courageous words are a classic statement of heroism: "I will |
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