Esther 6:1-14--The King Honors Mordecai

Esther 6
English Standard Version

The King Honors Mordecai
6 On that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. 2 And it was found written how Mordecai had told about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, and who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 3 And the king said, “What honor or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” The king's young men who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” 4 And the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king's palace to speak to the king about having Mordecai hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for him. 5 And the king's young men told him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” 6 So Haman came in, and the king said to him, “What should be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?” 7 And Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, 8 let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, and the horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown is set. 9 And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king's most noble officials. Let them dress the man whom the king delights to honor, and let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city, proclaiming before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.’” 10 Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry; take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king's gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned.” 11 So Haman took the robes and the horse, and he dressed Mordecai and led him through the square of the city, proclaiming before him, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.”

12 Then Mordecai returned to the king's gate. But Haman hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered. 13 And Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him.”

Esther Reveals Haman's Plot
14 While they were yet talking with him, the king's eunuchs arrived and hurried to bring Haman to the feast that Esther had prepared.

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Let's review that Esther is aware of Haman's plot to exterminate the Jews by the end of the year.  She has gone to see the king without an invitation (something that could have gotten her killed) and invited the king and Haman to a banquet that she prepared in their honor, but she did not bring up the issue with them there but asked them to return the next day for another banquet that she would throw in their honor.  We already know from the beginning of this book that the king loved to party, and he loved to party with his close associates, and there was no one closer to him right now than Haman.  Haman left puffed up because he was the only one of the king's officials invited to the banquet that Queen Esther threw for the king, and she invited both of them back again.  Also, Haman was pleased with himself that people bowed down to him (or at least trembled in fear) when they saw him.  However, Mordecai neither bowed nor trembled, and he was right there, standing tall at the king's gate, to deflate Haman's big ego as Haman was leaving the banquet the first day.

Haman goes home and tells all these things to his wife, and she tells him that the only solution is for him to use his power and position to order the execution of Mordecai ahead of schedule.  He built huge gallows that night and planned for the death penalty to be issued against Mordecai the next morning and for his execution to take place immediately.  Haman is on his way to see the king now, but what he doesn't know is that the king has been awake most of the king, and because he couldn't sleep, he's been reading the official chronicles.  He found the part in there where Mordecai had overheard the plot to assassinate the king and saved his life and realized nothing had been done for him, so when Haman arrives, the king and Haman have a discussion about how such a man should be honored and celebrated.  Haman, because of his inflated ego, thinks that the king must be wanting to celebrate and honor him, so he gives all kinds of answers about being treated like the king (this reveals what is in Haman's heart that he covets the one thing that he doesn't have, for a covetous heart is never satisfied.  It's like trying to quench your thirst by drinking salt water.  The more you drink, the thirstier you actually are, and it will slowly kill you).

Haman says that such a man that the king wants to honor should be dressed in the king's royal robes, ride on the king's horse and be escorted and paraded about by the king's nobles who would declare loudly to all the people, "Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor."  The king loves the idea, and since Haman is his highest official, he tells Haman to immediately make this happen for Mordecai the Jew who sits at the king's gate.  The king says, "Leave out nothing that you have mentioned."  Oh, how this heaped hot coals upon Haman's head.  He had come to see the king to try to kill Mordecai because he hated him, and now he leaves the king having to parade about, celebrate, honor, and herald the very one he hates, but whom the king now loves.  I'm sure he feels personally attacked by this that the king loves someone else more than him.  I think it's fair to say that Haman is devastated by this as all of his entire agenda for that day went up in proverbial flames before the day even had a chance to get started.

After all this happens for Mordecai, he simply returns to his place at the king's gate.  It is the picture of true humility.  Haman on the other hand goes home and once again complains about how terrible his day was to his wife.  He also apparently talked to all the "wise men" of the nation as well to see what they would tell him to.  They all spoke with one voice that the LORD was with Mordecai because he was a Jew, one of the LORD's people, and that to be against Mordecai was to go against the LORD, and that was a battle that Haman was going to lose.  The name of the LORD is not used directly, but it is implied for sure.  Remember, one of the key points of this book is to make the reader (or audience, as this is often acted out as a play) perceive the sovereignty of God at work, even without words of prophecy to spell everything out for us.  The LORD's presence and His work should be self-evident as Romans 1 tells us, "18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse." (Romans 1:18-20).  That is to say it should be impossible to see and hear a story like this and walk away and proclaim that you are an Agnostic or an Atheist.  There is surely a God who defends His people, and His name is the LORD (even though it's not mentioned at all in the book, we know who He is, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the nation of Israel) and He is mighty to save His people.  We can certainly know there is a God and who He is, and we can know of His character and nature.  Even these pagan "wise men" and Haman's wife could figure that out.

Just then, the king's officials come to take Haman to the feast that Queen Esther had prepared for him that day.  My guess is that he had completely forgotten about it and was unprepared.  That's where we're going to pick up next time when Esther reveals Haman's plot to the king.  (Remember that Haman had issued all the orders in the king's name and with the king's royal signet ring, but the king did not directly issue any of these orders).