Esther 6 (Verse by Verse comments)

I normally don't share verse by verse commentary. Most simply are not interested and cannot be bothered with verse by verse conversations about the biblical text. Today, I'm sharing my verse by verse notes on Esther 6. If just one of you grows in your faith, hope, and love, then it will have been worth sharing even if the rest of you are bored to tears.

This is perhaps the funniest chapter in all of the bible. With all the tension that has been built up through the story of Esther we get a break of the tension via the comedic upheaval of Haman. The reversal of futures between Mordecai and Haman foreshadow the eventual day of days when Christ Jesus, the lamb who was slain, will be exalted above every king as Lord of Lords. We see in Mordecai's humble service and Haman's evil scheme hints of the one who submitted himself to disgrace and earned for himself and his people the unfading crown of glory in eternal life.

I'm either going insane, or the Lord is kindly removing scales from my eyes to see how the book of Esther is a book with previews of the ultimate cosmic end of days. That glorious final day is previewed in some way with this most ironic and hilarious chapter of Esther.

The Triumph of Mordecai by Pieter Lastman, 1624

6:1 That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him. 

Interesting to note that Xerxes couldn’t sleep, so he asks for a “book on tape” - someone to read to him official stories of his times and life. He was reviewing his own life’s deeds as he could not find sleep. God used Xerxes restlessness to accomplish the honoring of Mordecai. Xerxes was a man who had a countless number of entertainment distractions available to him. I once heard Alistair Begg say of Xerxes' sleepless night that he could have asked for any number of his harem to come put him back to sleep, either by company, or by pleasure. Yet in God's providence, in God's wisdom and work, Xerxes asked for a book to be read during his anxious night. Xerxes' self centeredness is a point of interest here, he didn't have stories of his forefathers read, or foreign fables. Xerxes was in essence reviewing his own reign. Whether this was out of gross self absorption or something else we don't know. The text doesn't interrupt the flow of the story with parenthetical comments. We do know that the book that was read was intentionally chosen by Xerxes, this wasn't a whimsical command to "read me something, anything!" - it was a directive command to read from the official record of his reign.

2 It was found recorded there that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, who had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.

Mordecai’s service for the King is the passage of note. How long was Xerxes restless? How much of his annals did he hear? Did the reader begin with the first year of his reign? Did the reader dare read to a sleepless king of his former wife Vashti? Did the reader dare read to a restless king the failed conquest of Greece? Did the reader only read of the destruction Xerxes brought to Babylon, or the fury of Xerxes wrath towards the rebellious Egyptians? How long did it take for the reader to come to the passage wherein two of the king’s most trusted soldiers plotted to betray Xerxes and murder him? We are not told if the king stopped at other passages along the way with questions, or orders for his servants. Those other tales and moments of Xerxes reign are not pertinent to the story of Esther, Mordecai, Haman, and Purim. 

3 “What honor and recognition has Mordecai received for this?” the king asked.

“Nothing has been done for him,” his attendants answered.

Xerxes displays a rewarding spirit as he asks about Mordecai. We can put ourselves in the room with the reader and Xerxes, we hear of Mordecai reporting the plot, the two conspirators come to a deadly, sudden demise, and then the story ends. There was no retelling of the ascent of the hero, there was no honorable emergence, there was no grand parade. That portion of the annals of Xerxes simply ends. Mordecai saved the king, and there was no blessing accompanying the man who served so faithfully. We can picture for a moment the attending servants and officials scrambling to answer the moody and restless Xerxes. A flipping of pages, and an fervor of whispers crowded the ears of all in the room. “Do you know Mordecai?” some may have asked, “He’s the one sitting by the king’s gate right?” Those who did know of Mordecai, perhaps even the same administrators as who tried to convince Mordecai to bow to Haman in chapter 3, gave an answer that sends Xerxes on a quest. “Nothing has been done for him” say the attendants. This will not do at all thought king Xerxes. Once again the impetuous, emotional, and hasty king Xerxes is off on another adventure. Already we’ve seen Xerxes poorly planned manner of rule lead to the divorce of his wife Vashti, failure in war in Greece, regret over divorcing Vashti, and the signing into law the extermination of the Jews. 

4 The king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to speak to the king about impaling Mordecai on the pole he had set up for him.

5 His attendants answered, “Haman is standing in the court.” “Bring him in,” the king ordered.

At this moment, we might have a lump in our throat if we have not read ahead or already know the end of the story. Of every possible advisor in the kingdom, who is it that was in the court that very night, none other than Haman, the enemy of Mordecai and the Jews. Panic is introduced into the story once again and a great moment of drama where the music is played at a frantic pace. King Xerxes is going to speak with Haman? The last we heard of Haman was that he should seek out the king’s permission to impale Mordecai on a pole! If Xerxes speaks with Haman now, won’t that end with death for Mordecai? 

6 When Haman entered, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?” Now Haman thought to himself, “Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?” 

In this drama filled moment, it is the king who speaks first. Haman does not set the agenda. This is a very pivotal moment in the text, both for the overarching story, and for the roles and relationships in play. The last time Haman and the king spoke it was at Esther’s feast. Haman had clearly interpreted that feast as a moment of grandeur and prominence. We’re given a glimpse into the mind of Haman. Coming off the great success that was the feast of Esther, Haman was in high spirits (5:9-14). Haman’s head (figuratively speaking) was never larger than in 6:6. He reads himself into every situation of reward. He can only fathom that he, and he alone is deserving of the kings honor. Once again, the book of Esther plays upon the concept of what is known, and what is unknown. Haman, according to all that he knew from his perspective, was that he was in a favored position. He didn’t know about Xerxes sleepless night. The text doesn’t make clear if Haman knew of Mordecai’s service to the king in stopping the assassination! What Haman knows, and what he thinks he knows, are two different things. What is true, and what Haman thinks is true, are two different things. Haman’s selfish ambition leads to his detailed directive. Yet it is Haman’s selfishness that leads to Mordecai’s exultation. It is the very thing which Haman covets, that Mordecai will be given. 

7 So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honor, 8 have them bring a royal robe the king has worn and a horse the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head. 9 Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!’”

Haman’s detailed instructions are filled with almost every display of grandeur possible at the time. The clothing that the honored person was to wear was to be from the king’s wardrobe. The horse to be ridden was from the king’s stable. The horse was to be adorned with a royal crest. The parade of this honored man was to be led by one of the king’s most important dignitaries. This noble grand marshal of the parade is to then cry out, acting as a moving, living billboard, declaring to all within hearing distance “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor”. As if there was any doubt as to the level of importance of a person wearing royal robes, riding a royal horse demarcated with the royal insignia, there was left no room to doubt with one of the recognizable leaders of the kingdom calling attention to pay honor to the rider. Haman’s thoughts on this topic seem to be detailed, and no wonder! He may have daydreamed this sort of honor and considered it to be something to aspire to in his life.  

10 “Go at once,” the king commanded Haman. “Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended.”

This is the moment the symphony of Haman’s delight crashes into a cacophony of consternation. We can almost picture Haman stagger back, as if struck by force with the words of Xerxes. Haman was all giggles and excitement at first:

“Go at once” Xerxes said.

“Yes, yes right away sire!” thought Haman.

“Get the robe” commanded Xerxes.

“I know just the one! It will look splendid on me!” thought Haman.

“And the horse” declared Xerxes.

“Your royal steed would be an honor to ride your excellency!” thought Haman. 

“And do just as you said...” said Xerxes

“Oh I’ll get everything right, down to the last detail!” thought Haman.

“For Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate” Xerxes directed.

“....what...” thought Haman.

Abbot and Costello, and the Three Stooges could not write better comedic material than this! In every imaginable way Haman’s pride becomes his humiliation. Haman’s dreams of grandeur become his lowest hour. All of Haman’s schemes, influence, and knowledge are of no consequence. This is the first time in the story of Esther that we see Haman and Xerxes no longer in perfect union. This is the first time in Esther we see Haman confused or taken aback. Haman’s mind must have been racing as he heard the words from Xerxes. Disoriented nausea may have been what he first experienced. Lest any evil scheme of Haman would allow him to wriggle out of Xerxes command the last few words of Xerxes firmly instruct: “Do not neglect anything you have recommended”

11 So Haman got the robe and the horse. He robed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!”

Perhaps the most striking thing about this verse is how short it is. A summary may have been used to say “So Haman did all this for Mordecai”. In contrast to the detail and extravagance of Haman’s suggestion is the simple, straight forward, declarative reality of Mordecai’s honoring. We are not told what Mordecai thought of this moment, but it may have been one of tension. Mordecai knew what Haman looked like, he had seen him for days, and refused to bow or pay homage. Mordecai would have recognized the face that only the day before stormed away from the king’s gate angrily. Perhaps Mordecai was intimidated, frightened, or perhaps he didn’t give Haman a second thought. Perhaps Mordecai laughed out loud as he saw Haman approach with a royal robe of the king and royal steed bearing the king’s crest. Perhaps tears came to his eyes with an overwhelming sense of vindication. We don’t know much with this simple, short verse giving us only a brief recap, but we do know this, Mordecai was honored, and Haman was humiliated. 

12 Afterward Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman rushed home, with his head covered in grief, 13 and told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, “Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him—you will surely come to ruin!” 

After the grand parade, Mordecai returned to his consistent position, the king’s gate. Haman ran to his home. I remember a time in seminary where one of my New Testament professors pointed out to carefully note when someone is "running" in an ancient text. Often times running would have been seen as a "lowly" activity. It conveyed a sense of urgency, of being rushed, of losing control or being out of control of a situation. Running in this way was an undignified thing to do. We lose out on some of the meaning conveyed in this verse if we simply read "Mordecai went to the king's gate, and Haman hurried home". We lose out on the undignified position that Haman has been brought to. He's rushing because he is out of control. We can expect the reason why he was in such a hurry was out of his own sense of wounded pride. He was willing to run precisely because he would rather sacrifice his dignity in running than sacrifice his dignity being recognized on those streets where he had boldly and proudly strode. He was once the one receiving homage and honor by command of Xerxes as he walked, and now all the inhabitants who recognized him would associate him with the honoring of Mordecai. 

Upon arriving home, Haman found no comfort, no solace from his friends or his wife. Instead of soothing words spoken calmly and quietly, Haman’s friends and wife declare his impending doom and eventual downfall. These same sorts of people, who only just the day before, had suggested to Haman to erect a pole and seek Xerxes favor to kill Mordecai earlier than the decreed legal date. Now it seemed that Haman was in a free fall, cast from his position of power into a pit of continual degradation. His friend's, only a day later, have completely changed their tune and decry Haman's impending doom.

The voice proclaiming Haman’s downfall is a strange one. Haman’s own wife and friends are the ones convinced that Mordecai and his people are an overwhelming force, unstoppable in their aims. It is strange that people who only a day before were plotting the murder and destruction of Mordecai are now, only a day later, declaring the exact opposite. The words of Haman’s friends are like the fool mentioned continually throughout the book of Proverbs. They are like the evil blood thirsty ones in Proverbs 1:10-19:

10 My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them.

11 If they say, “Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for innocent blood, let’s ambush some harmless soul;

12 let’s swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like those who go down to the pit;

13 we will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder;

14 cast lots with us; we will all share the loot”—

15 my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths;

16 for their feet rush into evil, they are swift to shed blood.

17 How useless to spread a net where every bird can see it!

18 These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves!

19 Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it.

The ambush set for Mordecai only the day before has begun to spring upon Haman! If someone were to set the book of proverbs to narrative, they would do well to make such vivid portraits of people as Haman the fool. Haman’s eventual ruin is well described as one who is perverse, one who is wicked, one who is a mocker, one who is proud. Proverbs 3:32-35 says what the Lord thinks of these sorts of people:

32 For the Lord detests the perverse

    but takes the upright into his confidence.

33 The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,

    but he blesses the home of the righteous.

34 He mocks proud mockers

    but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.

35 The wise inherit honor,

    but fools get only shame.

Haman’s knowledge of the future, and his ability to manipulate events was not limitless. He was finite. His end was coming. His friends and family were fickle. The evil ambush for Mordecai had turned into a blessing from the Lord and a curse upon Haman. 

14 While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried Haman away to the banquet Esther had prepared.

Here we have a statement that leaves the reader with no ambiguity regarding Haman’s control. He’s no longer dominant, he’s no longer powerful, he’s no longer calling the shots. Haman isn’t dictating where he goes, what he does, where anyone else goes, or what anyone else does. Haman is being talked to. Even in the grammatical structure of the sentence we are given a sense that Haman has moved from an active force in his own power, to a subjective force being moved by the power of others. 

There is no little hint of irony in who comes to collect Haman. The king’s eunuchs are the ones with the task. The eunuchs of course should remind us of Esther and Mordecai. It was the eunuchs that cared for Esther during her preparation for the beauty pageant. It was other eunuchs who served Esther when she became queen. It was a eunuch who delivered messages from Esther to Mordecai after the decree of Haman. At the beginning of Esther 6 we had thought that Haman might meet with the king and kill Mordecai sooner than otherwise expected. By the end of Esther 6 we see that Haman is being directed by servants who answer to Esther and Mordecai.

I can't help but think of the powers of evil on the day when Christ was betrayed. I can't help but think of the powers of evil on the day when Christ was crucified. They must have been like Haman during 6:8-10. He was giddy and glad to be the subject of Xerxes' honor. The powers of evil were all too excited to see the Son of God put to death. Their hour of assumed triumph was the hour of their doom. The hour of Christ's humiliation became the hour of his exaltation. The cross, which was to be a dark symbol of evil's victory has become the very insignia of Christ's atoning work. As Haman was the crier for Mordecai in a parade to spread the fame of Mordecai's good service for the king, Christ will be the object of glorification in the most grand parade of triumph the universe has ever seen.

Anonymous artist: 15th century "Mordecai is led through the city by Haman"

All of Haman's schemes were expiring. He must have been a confused, dejected figure as he was taken by the eunuch's to Esther's 2nd feast. "This day just can't get any worse" he may have thought. The eunuch's served the purposes of Mordecai and Esther as they served to preserve and protect God's people. We as God's people exercise God's power to render powerless the forces of evil. It reminds me of 1 Corinthians 15:55 (which itself is a reference to Hosea 13:14)

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?

Haman the evil, Haman the enemy of God's ancient people, had no more strength, no more plans, no more schemes. Shock beset Haman. Shock beset the whole realm of evil when the Christ Jesus died, and in going to the realm of the dead, took the keys of that realm, and returned from death to life (Isaiah 22:22, Matthew 16:19, 1 Peter 3:18-19 Revelation 3:7). In Esther 6 we see the pivotal moment when evil was upended and experienced the power of God to protect his people on full display.