Esther Chapter 6

Honor for Mordecai
A. The king’s question.

1. (Esther 6:1–3) A sleepless night.

“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.”

a. On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles.
The narrative turns on something as ordinary as a sleepless night. King Ahasuerus, ruler of a vast empire, found himself unable to rest. In his restlessness he ordered that the royal chronicles be read to him, likely assuming that the monotony of official records would bring drowsiness. This detail underscores human limitation and divine control. As Spurgeon observed, Ahasuerus ruled over one hundred and twenty seven provinces, yet he could not command even a few minutes of sleep. God often advances His purposes through seemingly insignificant moments, using ordinary circumstances to accomplish extraordinary ends.

b. And it was found written.
This phrase marks one of the clearest demonstrations of divine providence in the book. Of all possible records that could have been read, the account selected was the one describing Mordecai’s loyalty in exposing the assassination plot against the king. The timing was exact. The event had occurred years earlier, yet had never been rewarded. God guided the king’s sleeplessness, the choice of the book, the place where it was opened, and the specific record that was read. Though God’s name is not mentioned, His sovereign hand is unmistakable in every detail.

i. Just as Ahasuerus had a book of remembrance, Scripture affirms that God also keeps a record of faithfulness. “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another, and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.” God never forgets acts of faithfulness done in reverence to Him, even when men overlook them for a time.

c. What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this?
For perhaps the first time, the king showed concern that a common subject had gone unrewarded for an act that preserved the throne itself. This question sets the stage for a dramatic reversal. The servants’ answer, that nothing had been done for Mordecai, highlights the apparent injustice, but also prepares the way for God to exalt Mordecai publicly and decisively. What seemed forgotten was merely reserved for the right moment.

2. (Esther 6:4–5) Haman in the courts of the king.

“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.”

a. Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king’s house.
The timing could not be more striking. At the very moment the king was considering how to honor Mordecai, Haman arrived with the intention of asking for Mordecai’s execution. This convergence was not coincidence. God orchestrated the moment with precision. Haman came early, eager to secure Mordecai’s death, unaware that the entire course of events had already turned against him in the unseen realm.

b. Behold, Haman standeth in the court.
This statement heightens the tension of the narrative. The one who hated Mordecai most stood ready to advise the king, believing the hour favored him. Yet the king’s invitation, “Let him come in,” would lead not to Mordecai’s destruction, but to Haman’s humiliation. The book of Esther consistently demonstrates that God governs the affairs of men without their knowledge. From earthly courts to heavenly counsel, nothing surprises Him and nothing escapes His control.

i. Esther’s position as queen was not luck. Mordecai’s discovery of the assassination plot was not chance. Haman’s arrival at this precise moment was not accidental. Every event was ordered by God to bring about deliverance for His people and judgment upon the proud.

ii. This truth becomes more challenging when circumstances appear unfavorable. Scripture reminds believers that God’s sovereignty extends even over hardship. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Any single event, viewed in isolation, may seem confusing or unjust. Yet when all things are seen together under God’s providential plan, His wisdom and faithfulness become clear.

3. (Esther 6:6) King Ahasuerus asks a question of Haman.

“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?”

a. What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour?
This question marks a decisive turning point in the narrative. God had arranged every preceding detail so that the king’s inquiry would be asked at precisely this moment, and to precisely this man. The Lord was not only securing the eventual protection of the Jewish people, but was also preparing to exalt the faithful and abase the proud. Mordecai’s loyalty, long overlooked by men, was now about to be publicly recognized, while Haman was unknowingly positioned as the instrument of his enemy’s honor. This reflects a consistent biblical principle, that God humbles the proud and exalts the humble in His own time and way.

b. Now Haman thought in his heart.
Scripture draws attention to Haman’s inner reasoning. His response was not spoken aloud, but conceived within his heart, revealing the depth of his pride. He could not imagine that the king might delight to honor anyone else. Pride had so distorted his perspective that he assumed the world revolved around his own importance. God often allows fallen man to become ensnared by his own arrogance, permitting pride to construct the very trap that leads to humiliation. Haman’s self centered assumption would soon be exposed before the entire kingdom.

4. (Esther 6:7–9) Haman’s answer concerning how the king should honor the man he delights in.

“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.”

a. Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear.
Haman’s proposal reveals the shallow nature of his desires. The honors he described were entirely external and symbolic, consisting of clothing, ceremony, and public display. These things held no intrinsic value, yet Haman coveted them because they would elevate his image in the eyes of others. His conception of honor was rooted in appearance rather than character, and in recognition rather than righteousness. This underscores how pride values the symbols of greatness more than the substance of it.

b. The horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head.
By requesting the king’s own horse and royal apparel, Haman sought honor that bordered on kingly imitation. Though not claiming the throne, he desired to be treated as one who shared in the king’s majesty. Pride always pushes toward excess, never content with modest recognition. Haman’s request reflects an inflated view of himself and a craving to be seen as supreme among men.

c. Bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him.
Public recognition was the centerpiece of Haman’s vision. He longed for applause, admiration, and visible affirmation from the people. He measured success by the voices of men rather than by truth, justice, or faithfulness. Haman was a tragic figure precisely because he could only feel satisfied when praised. While applause on earth may at times accompany faithful service, it is disastrous to live for it. Scripture calls believers to seek the approval of God, knowing that His judgment alone is final and His reward eternal.

B. The king’s command.

1. (Esther 6:10–11) Haman must lead the chorus of praise for Mordecai.

“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.”

a. Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew.
The king’s command was immediate and exact. Haman was ordered to carry out every detail of the honor he himself had proposed, and to do so for Mordecai, the very man he hated and intended to execute that same morning. The king emphasized urgency and completeness, leaving no room for alteration or delay. This moment marks a decisive reversal engineered by God. The honor Haman coveted was transferred entirely to Mordecai, and the instrument of the honor would be Haman himself. God often judges pride by forcing it to serve the purposes it sought to destroy.

b. Let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.
The king required full obedience to Haman’s own words. Not a single element of the proposed honor was to be omitted. This detail highlights the thoroughness of God’s justice. Haman’s pride was not merely checked, it was dismantled piece by piece. Every word spoken in arrogance now returned upon him in humiliation. The precision of the command shows that God’s reversals are never partial or accidental, but complete and intentional.

c. Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai.
The humiliation intensified as Haman himself dressed Mordecai in royal apparel. The hands that had prepared gallows for Mordecai were now required to clothe him with honor. This was not private correction but public exposure. True humiliation, as Scripture demonstrates, is humiliation before others. God brought Haman low in the sight of the city so that His justice would be unmistakable and His sovereignty clearly displayed.

d. And proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour.
Haman was not only required to act, but also to speak. He became the herald of Mordecai’s honor, proclaiming publicly the words he had intended to hear spoken about himself. Pride seeks applause, and God answered Haman’s desire in the most devastating way possible by placing those words on his own lips for another man. This was a fitting and measured judgment that exposed the emptiness of Haman’s ambition and exalted the faithfulness of Mordecai.

2. (Esther 6:12–14) Mourning, warning, and a hasty departure to Esther’s banquet.

“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.”

a. And Mordecai came again to the king’s gate.
Mordecai returned quietly to his place of duty. He did not linger to enjoy the spectacle nor seek further recognition. His humility stands in stark contrast to Haman’s pride. Mordecai accepted honor without being changed by it, revealing the character of a man who understood that promotion comes from God and not from men.

b. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.
Haman responded as one who had suffered a personal loss. Covering the head and mourning signified deep grief, normally associated with death. In reality, what had died was his pride, his reputation, and his confidence. The public humiliation inflicted a mortal wound on his sense of self. This demonstrates that pride is fragile and cannot survive exposure to truth and justice.

c. If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall.
Haman’s wife and advisers suddenly displayed a sobering clarity. They recognized that the tide had turned irreversibly. If Mordecai was Jewish, and if God was now evidently acting on his behalf, then Haman’s downfall was inevitable. These same counselors who had urged cruelty now predicted destruction. Worldly wisdom is unreliable and self preserving, offering encouragement when convenient and retreating when danger appears.

d. Thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.
This statement functions as a prophetic warning. The advisers acknowledged that Haman’s struggle was no longer merely political or personal, but spiritual. To oppose Mordecai was to oppose the purposes of God for His covenant people. Scripture consistently affirms that those who set themselves against God’s plans ultimately fall, regardless of their power or position.

e. And while they were yet talking with him, came the king’s chamberlains.
The narrative closes this section with urgency. Haman was given no time to reflect or repent. The king’s eunuchs arrived and hastened him to Esther’s banquet. Judgment moved swiftly toward its appointed moment. God’s timing is exact, and once His purposes reach maturity, events unfold rapidly and decisively.