Mordecai suggested this was her destiny, saying that she was called to the kingdom "for such a time as this."

Esther resolved to risk perfunctory execution with her very famous line. Saying she would go to the king, she told Mordecai, "And if I perish, I perish!"

The story is a lot more complicated than it first appears. Persian law did not allow a royal edict to be reversed, even by the king. In a clever series of moves involving a couple of banquets and an appeal to her enemy's enormous ego and personal pride, Esther exposed the plot to her husband who then has Haman executed.

Esther revealed that she was Jewish. Most important of all, Queen Esther had worked out a very clever way that the edict could stand and yet the Jewish nation would survive. She dispatched her enemy and won the admiration of her husband, the king, all while saving her people.

The great beauty of the book of Esther is that she progresses from a terrified teenager to a world political figure in a series of carefully executed moves.

Like many other historical figures (men and women), Esther always capitalized on the fact that her enemies underestimated her.

Despite this impressive resume, it would be wrong to think of Esther as some cunning mastermind or sinister genius; she was actually a gracious woman. She was kind to her husband, even when he acted like a dolt. She was an astute observer of human nature, which is why she knew how effective flattery would be on her enemy, Haman. She also studied life at court, which is why her banquets were the perfect backdrop for her plan.

Most of all, Esther was brave, even more courageous than her husband who led the Persian army on many battlefields. After having dutifully concealed her Jewish heritage for years, Esther chose to reveal it to her husband and enemy at the very moment when it was most dangerous to her personally but most effective to help the Jewish people.

In Esther, we see how an ordinary girl, propelled by God and fate into extraordinary circumstances, emerged victorious by taking a series of difficult steps.

Some theologians have trouble with the book of Esther because it is the only book of the Bible that fails to mention God. There is no direct mention of Him, not even once. Other Biblical scholars have argued that the great genius of the Book of Esther is the fact that God is specifically not mentioned. His presence is as obvious as air and does not require mentioning. In a stunning series of coincidences and chance encounters, God's plan and intervention are clear.

The story of Esther is celebrated by Jewish people in the holiday known as Purim, which occurs in the spring.

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