Sometimes it is disputed whether Esther or Mordecai should be seen as the “hero” of the book of Esther. They both get a roughly equal coverage. But for me, it is Esther who nudges ahead by having to do the most courageous thing in the book. She must risk her life by appearing uninvited before the king (Esth 4:11).

I guess if we’re honest, courage does not come naturally to most of us. We typically flee from danger, and avoid risky situations. Situations requiring courage fall into two broad categories. First, those from which we cannot escape, such as the person who has to go into hospital for an urgent operation. In such cases, what is needed is the peace that comes from knowing that God is with us (Ps 23:4).

But Esther had an opt-out. She could have buried her head in the sand. Haman had clearly not linked her to Mordecai. There was every chance she could escape with her life if she continued to keep her Jewish identity secret. The type of courage she needed was the courage to do the right thing and refuse to take the easy option.

Ultimately the secret to this type of courage is the fear of the Lord. This is brilliantly demonstrated by the example of two other courageous women, Shiphrah and Puah. They were the Hebrew midwives asked to terminate the lives of all baby boys. Pharaoh certainly had the power to execute them if they failed to comply. Yet they feared the Lord more than they feared Pharaoh (Ex 1:17).

We cannot fear the Lord if we fear man. Fearing what people will say about us or do to us can paralyse us into inaction. Desiring the approval of people will cause us to make moral compromises. True wisdom begins with fearing the Lord (Prov 9:10) – agreeing with him even if that puts us at odds with others. So the truly courageous person is not fearless, but one who fears God.

n.b. Courage is not portrayed in the Scriptures as an exclusively masculine characteristic. Peter picks Rachel as a role model for women in 1 Pet 3:6 precisely because of her courage. Esther too stands here as a shining example of a woman of faith – who had the courage to do what was right despite the personal danger it meant for her.