Esther 6 explained: Haman Honors the Man He Hates

A sleepless king (vv. 1-3)

Unable to sleep, the king has the official record of his reign read aloud and hears how Mordecai exposed a plot to kill him (told back in chapter 2). Persian kings were known for rewarding those who served them well, so learning that nothing had been done was an embarrassing oversight.

Haman arrives early (vv. 4-5)

Royal business was often done at first light, and Haman has come early to get the king's permission to execute Mordecai on the tall pole he had set up. The irony turns on timing: the king, awake all night, is thinking about honoring Mordecai at the very moment Haman walks in wanting him dead.

Haman designs an honor (vv. 6-9)

The king asks how to honor someone without naming him, and Haman, sure it means himself, asks for the king's own robe, the king's horse wearing a royal headdress, and a top noble to lead it through the city. Wearing what the king had worn and riding his horse showed the whole city that this person stood unusually close to the throne.

The tables turn (vv. 10-11)

The king tells Haman to do every bit of it for Mordecai the Jew. Haman must dress his enemy and lead him through the streets, shouting his praise himself.

A grim forecast at home (vv. 12-14)

Mordecai quietly returns to his post, while Haman hurries home with his head covered, a sign of grief and shame, and his wife and advisers predict that this is the start of his ruin. The text does not explain why they tie his fall to Mordecai being Jewish, and before they finish, the king's servants arrive to rush Haman to Esther's banquet.

Key verse: Esther 6:10

Where Christians differ

The book never mentions God, so Christians differ on how strongly to read this chain of well timed coincidences as God quietly steering events, versus a story that deliberately leaves the reader to wonder.

Something to think about

Have you ever seen a string of small, unplanned events change the direction of something important, and how did you make sense of it?