Transcript

The story is told of a man who was shipwrecked on an uninhabited island. He painstakingly built a little hut for protection from the elements and where he could keep the few items he had salvaged from the wreck.

For weeks he lived with only the hot sun and the cold nights and the tropical storms for company. He prayed to God for deliverance and anxiously scanned the horizon each day to hail any passing ship. But there was nothing and no ships to be seen.

Then, one evening, when he returned from a search for food, he was horrified to find that his little hut was in flames. As he stood there, unable to put out the fire, he was crushed by the disaster. The worst had happened it seemed.

What few possessions he had were now gone up in smoke. He went to sleep that night near the ashes, listening to the surf pounding on the sand and despair throbbing in his heart.

Early the next morning, he awoke to find a ship anchored off the island—the first ship he had seen in all the weeks he had been searching for the hope of rescue.

Still trying to believe his eyes, he heard footsteps and then heard the captain’s voice: “We saw your smoke signal, and we came to rescue you.”

That’s the way it is in the Book of Esther, where God is at work behind the “seen,” using various, separate events and then putting them together for good, for the rescue of the Jews from Haman’s decree that called for their destruction.

Esther 6:1-3: “On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.

“And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus. And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.”

J. Sidlow Baxter wrote this, “That word ‘providence’ comes from the Latin, provideo, which means that I see a thing beforehand (pro equals “before”; video equals “I see”); so that the root meaning of providence is foresight…

“Strictly speaking, there is only One who has foresight, and He alone, therefore, is able to act on the basis of foreknowledge. Providence, then, in its one absolute sense, is the Divine foreknowledge and the Divine activity which arises there from.

“It is this which we see demonstrated in the Book of Esther. The crisis about which the book is written is providentially anticipated and then providentially overruled just at the crucial moment. No miraculous intervention is resorted to. All the happenings recorded are the outworking of circumstances in their natural sequence.

“Yet while there is no miracle recorded, the whole thing, in its ultimate meaning, is a mighty miracle….”

The Book of Esther displays so remarkably the veiled providence of God over and within the events of human history to accomplish His divine purposes. And we see God’s providence very clearly in this chapter in particular.

In verse 1, the words, “On that night” refer to the night that Haman was having the gallows made for Mordecai, and also “on that night” refers to the night after Esther’s first banquet and before the second.

And “On that night,” the king couldn’t sleep. A man once said, “I have insomnia. I won’t rest until I find a cure.” The king had a bout of insomnia on this night. This was a pivotal night in the events of the book. And on this night, we see God invisibly at work.

While Mordecai, Esther, and Haman slept that night, and while all of Shushan and Persia slept, the king was having a rough night of sleep.

It’s possible that he lay awake wondering about Esther’s request that she was keeping from him but would tell him the next day. But we also know for certain that God was behind it. God is always awake, and He wanted Ahasuerus awake on this night.

The New Scofield Reference Bible has the following note about the king’s sleepless night,

“Here is a remarkable instance of the veiled providential control of God over circumstances of human history. Upon the king’s insomnia, humanly speaking, were hinged the survival of the chosen nation, the fulfillment of prophecy, the coming of the Redeemer, and therefore, the whole work of redemption.

“Yet the outcome was never in doubt; for God was in control, making the most trivial of events work together for Haman’s defeat and Israel’s preservation.”

As Daniel 4:35 reminds us about the Most High, “…and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, AND AMONG THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest Thou?”

When the king couldn’t sleep, instead of counting sheep, he “commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles,” ordering that they be brought and read to him.

King Ahasuerus did what many people do when they cannot sleep. He brought out a book. And a book of records doesn’t exactly sound exciting to have read to you and it makes you wonder if he was hoping that these chronicles would bore him to sleep.

But in truth, as it’s been said, “As chronicles were composed among the Persians, a more instructive and interesting work could not be brought before the king; because they were all written in verse, and were generally the work of the most eminent poets of the empire.”

“The book of records of the chronicles” was the royal annals, the records of the history of Persia; they contained written records of facts and events important to the empire and to the king’s own reign.

The one commanded to bring the book had many scrolls to choose from. He could have brought any of the many scrolls of the records of the chronicles, but he just “HAPPENED” to choose one particular scroll, that just “HAPPENED” to be the exact one that told a story about a Jewish man named Mordecai, and his past bravery on the king’s behalf.

This was no accident. You see God guiding every step here.

As the servants begin reading to him, they read of an event that took place five years earlier, when Mordecai uncovered an assassination plot against the king,

Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s chamberlains, the keepers of the door, or royal guards, had plotted and schemed “to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus” and to kill him.
Mordecai became aware of their plan to assassinate the king and immediately reported it, thus saving the king’s life.

Esther 2:22-23 states of this event: “And the thing was known to Mordecai, who told it unto Esther the queen; and Esther certified [or informed] the king thereof in Mordecai’s name.

And when inquisition was made of the matter, it was found out; therefore they were both hanged on a tree: and it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king.”

Mordecai’s name was recorded in the book of the chronicles because Esther had given him credit for revealing the plot all those years earlier.

At this point, the king stopped the reading and asked, “What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this?”

I picture Ahasuerus saying, “Wait, hold on. Did you skip something? Where is the part that said I honored Mordecai for saving my life?” But, there wasn’t one.

Nothing was recorded because nothing had been done to honor him. As verse 3 says, “Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.”

A wise king makes sure that someone who thwarted a plot to kill him should be greatly and promptly rewarded, with the hopes of encouraging similar behavior in the future, should another attempt on his life come about.

This oversight was not pleasing to the king and cast a poor reflection on him for not rewarding one who had bravely saved his life.

Now, Mordecai, who meant nothing to the king before this night, became his sole and top priority for that day, to rectify the oversight and ensure that he was honored and rewarded.

This occurred on the same night that Haman had a 75-foot-high stake made for Mordecai’s execution, and Haman’s sole and top priority for that day was to go before the king and ask that he be hung on it.

Esther 6:4-9: “And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king’s house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.

“And the king’s servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in. So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?

“And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour, Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head:

“And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.”

The king then got out of bed and asked, “Who is in the court?” meaning, “What official is currently present?”

Ahasuerus was looking for a high-ranking official, a counselor, to converse with and get advice on how to justly reward Mordecai. And Haman just “HAPPENED” to be there.

Haman was following the advice of his wife and friends, “Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and to morrow speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon: then go thou in merrily with the king unto the banquet” (5:14).

Now, at the crack of dawn the next morning, Haman, in his fierce hatred and desire for revenge, was at the palace at this early hour, wanting an audience with the king to get his permission for the execution of Mordecai prior to the queen’s banquet.

The timing of all this is amazing, because no sooner had the king gotten out of bed having decided to reward Mordecai than Haman appeared and is standing in the king’s court to talk to the king about killing him. Haman was too late. God’s timing was perfect.

The king wanted to speak with a high-ranking official, and the king’s servants would naturally mention the highest official they saw in attendance.

Thus, they told him that his most senior official, Haman, was in the court. And so the king commanded that he be brought in, much to Haman’s delight we can be sure.

Haman entered the room, and before he could speak, the king asked Haman, “What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honor?” The king asked Haman this question without explaining himself.

Ahasuerus hid the identity of Mordecai in just the same way Haman had hid the identity of the Jews concerning the decree to destroy them.

Upon hearing the king’s question, Haman, of course, first thought of himself. And he concluded the king was talking about him.

Verse 6 states, “Now Haman thought in his heart.” But the thoughts of Haman’s heart were deluded and deceived by his own pride.

Haman thought, “To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?” Or “Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?” thinking that surely the king was desiring to honor him, and there could be no one else he’d want to honor other than him.

Thus, Haman likely thought that this was going to be a great day: first, he was going to be honored by the king; second, he was going to get revenge on Mordecai, and third, he was going to dine merrily with the king and queen again.

Little did he know that this would be the worst day of his life and the day of his death.

Then, in one of the most humorous plot twists in the whole Bible, we find a proud Haman setting up the worst possible punishment he could imagine for himself, specifying the manner in which his enemy, Mordecai, was to be honored and rewarded by the king.

In verse 7 we read, “And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour.”

Haman’s response to the king is what HE would enjoy in being honored by the king. They were excellent suggestions to honor someone and just what the king desired! Haman could not have thought of anything more imaginative to promote himself.

If the king had asked what was to be done for Mordecai the Jew, Haman’s suggestions, as you can imagine, would have been toned down significantly!

Since Haman boasted in “the glory of his riches” (5:11) and didn’t need additional riches, he suggested that the honoree be given the appearance of royalty, to appear as much as possible like the king himself and be honored like the king.

Haman told the king: “Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear,” or let this man be arrayed in the king’s own apparel, in a royal robe which the king had worn.

Next, “and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head,” or let him ride upon a horse which the king has ridden, and let the horse wear a royal crest on its head, showing it to be a royal steed.

Next, “And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour.”

Haman recommended that the royal robe and horse be delivered to one of the king’s most noble princes so that the honoree might be given the privilege of being arrayed in the royal apparel by a high-ranking representative of the king.

By this stipulation of having “one of the king’s most noble princes” do this, Haman guaranteed that he would be the one to carry out these honors for Mordecai.

Next, Haman said, “and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.”

Haman then recommended a parade, with the honoree on horseback, and the noble prince leading the horse and the honoree throughout the city of Shushan.

As they went, the noble prince was to declare and proclaim “This is what the king does to someone he seeks to honor!”

The way we would understand these recommendations today in our country would be to have him wear one of the president’s suits, have him ride around in the back of the president’s limousine with the president’s logo on the car, with the Speaker of the House driving him through the streets of Washington D.C., shouting out the window with a megaphone that this is what the president does for one deserving of honor and praise.

But what this shows us is that, even in his high position having great wealth, power, and prestige, even though the king had already commanded the people to reverence and bow down before Haman (3:2), he was not satisfied. Haman wanted more.

We see here that he desired to be honored like the king, with the city seeing him paraded through its streets in the king’s apparel, riding on the king’s horse, with words of honor and tribute being shouted by a noble prince as they went.

Esther 6:10-14: “Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king’s gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.

“Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour.

“And Mordecai came again to the king’s gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.

“And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.

“And while they were yet talking with him, came the king’s chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared.”

In God’s providence, He ironically ordained that Haman specify the manner in which Mordecai be honored. God was arranging all things to not only protect and rescue the Jews, but also so that both Mordecai and Haman would each receive what they deserved.

The king absolutely loved all of Haman’s ideas and took his advice completely. Speaking of a “most noble prince” there happened to be the highest-ranking one standing right in front of the king. He was perfect for the job.

So the king commanded Haman “Make haste,” to hurry, and take one of his royal robes and a horse from the royal stables and do exactly what he said.

And then the king added words, that were like a bomb being dropped on Haman, telling him, “and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king’s gate.” God had wisely arranged things so that Haman’s arrogance would be the cause of his own humiliation.

Just imagine how mortified Haman was when he heard the name of his archenemy, and heard the king command him, “I want YOU to be the one who does all this for Mordecai.” Adding, “Leave nothing undone of all that you have spoken.”

Haman had to be careful not to show any anger or disappointment in the king’s presence. And he had no choice but to obey the king’s commandment and to do it quickly. He had to do what he hated and what was the last thing in the world he would have ever done.

Thus, verse 11 shows that Haman went and did everything exactly as he had told the king. Becoming the servant of Mordecai, he took the royal robe and the king’s horse, went out to the king’s gate and he found Mordecai. Then Haman, the enemy of the Jews, was forced to honor Mordecai the Jew!

Haman put the king’s robe on him and put him on the horse, and then he led the horse through Shushan.

And as Haman paraded him through the street and the city square, he loudly proclaimed: “Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour,” announcing how great this man was who was sitting on this horse.

One commentator stated, “The words Haman had to proclaim must have been as gravel in his mouth.”

As Haman led Mordecai through the streets, the people gave honor and respect to the very one who refused to honor Haman.

Mordecai never uttered a word here in the account of this scene. But as Frank Gaebelein wrote, “One wonders what brought the greatest enjoyment to Mordecai—remembrance by the king, the people’s adulation, or Haman’s humiliation!”

Haman was utterly humiliated by having to honor Mordecai in such a public way, because everyone in the city of Shushan knew of Haman’s decree and his hatred for the Jews, and so they knew how outrageous it was that he would be leading a Jew around on the king’s horse shouting his praises.

After the parade was finished and they returned to the palace, Mordecai and Haman went in two different directions. Mordecai returned to his official position and regular place at the king’s gate and continued in the role he had before he was honored, while Haman tucked his tail between his legs and quickly scurried home.

Haman did so “mourning, and having his head covered.” The tables have turned. Mordecai was the one who had been mourning earlier after the decree to destroy the Jews was made public, but now Haman was the one mourning.

He covered his head as an expression of his grief and distress. Not only was he grieved at having to praise his enemy publicly, but he also knew there was no way he could kill Mordecai now.

He returned home feeling very different than when he excitedly hurried out the door that morning. As he hurried home after this humiliating experience, Haman probably hoped to find solace and comfort there, but he didn’t find any.

Haman had a different story to tell his wife and friends compared with the one he told the day before when he boasted of his riches, power, and greatness.

Now he recounted the shocking turn of events with his wife and friends and the details of his degrading experience with the king honoring and rewarding Mordecai and him having to do it all.

His wife and friends see the writing on the wall. His wife and wise men predicted that this turn of events was the beginning of the end for Haman and that he would not prevail against Mordecai. They saw in Haman’s humiliation before Mordecai an omen of an even worse defeat to come.

They believed that if the king was giving honor to Mordecai, and Mordecai was a Jew, then Haman, the enemy of the Jews, was in trouble, and they told Haman that he would “surely fall before him,” predicting his ruin and downfall.

The conversation between Haman and his wise men and wife was interrupted by a knock at the door. His downfall and his end were coming sooner rather than later.

Haman did not even have time to reply to his wife’s and the wise men’s prediction, nor attempt to contrive a counter plan.

The king’s chamberlains were there to escort Haman to the second banquet where Esther had a very important request and story to tell the king.

We see all things coming together now in Esther, good and bad things that have happened in the past, things in the present here in this chapter, and it is all working together for good. David Guzik wrote this about Romans 8:28:

“It is easy to see God’s management of all things when we see good things happen. But what about the bad? Even then, we must trust God’s total plan, realizing that ‘all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose’ (Rom. 8:28).

“We understand that Paul says all things work together. Any one event, taken in isolation, may seem to make no sense, but when we see all things working together, we then see the ultimate wisdom of God’s plan.”