6:1,2Unable to sleep, the king decided to review the history of his reign, and his servants read to him about Mordecai’s good deed. This seems coincidental, but God is always at work. God has been working quietly and patiently throughout your life as well. The events that have come together for good are not mere coincidence; they are the result of God’s sovereign control over the course of people’s lives (Romans 8:28).
Life Application Study BibleEstherChapter 6
Esther 6
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 777, 778
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6Esther 6
The King Honors Mordecai
16 That night the king had trouble sleeping, so he ordered an attendant to bring the book of the history of his reign so it could be read to him. 2In those records he discovered an account of how Mordecai had exposed the plot of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the eunuchs who guarded the door to the king’s private quarters. They had plotted to assassinate King Xerxes. 3“ What reward or recognition did we ever give Mordecai for this?” the king asked. His attendants replied, “Nothing has been done for him.” 4“Who is that in the outer court?” the king inquired. As it happened, Haman had just arrived in the outer court of the palace to ask the king to impale Mordecai on the pole he had prepared. 5So the attendants replied to the king, “Haman is out in the court.” 6Bring him in,” the king ordered. So Haman came in, and the king said,” What should I do to honor a man who truly pleases me?” Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king wish to honor more than me?” So he replied, “If the king wishes to honor someone, 8he should bring out one of the king’s own royal robes, as well as a horse that the king himself has ridden—one with a royal emblem on its head. 9Let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials. And let him see that the man whom the king wishes to honor is dressed in the king's robes and led through the city square on the king’s horse. Have the official shout as they go, ‘This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honor!” 10”Excellent!” the king said to Haman. “Quick! Take the robes and my horse, and do just as you have said for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the gate of the palace. Leave out nothing you have suggested!” 11Sq Haman took the robes and put them on Mordecai, placed him on the King’s own horse, and led him through the city square, shouting, “This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honor!” 12Afterward Mordecai returned to the palace gate, but Haman hurtied home dejected and completely humiliated. 13When Haman told his wife, Zeresh, and all his friends what had happened, his wise advisers and his wife said, “Since Mordecai—this man who has humiliated you—is of Jewish birth, you will never succeed in your plans against him. It will be fatal to continue opposing him.” 14While they were still talking, the king’s eunuchs arrived and quickly took Haman to the banquet Esther had prepared.
Life Application Notes 3 notes
6:7-9Haman had wealth, but he craved something even his money couldn't buy—respect. He could buy the trappings of success and power, but his lust for popularity had become an obsession. Don’t let your desire for approval, applause, and popularity drive you to immoral actions.
6:10-13Mordecai had exposed a plot to assassinate Xerxes— thus, he had saved the king’s life (2:21-23). Although his good deed was recorded in the history books, Mordecai had gone unrewarded. But God was saving Mordecai’s reward for the right time. Just as Haman was about to impale Mordecai unjustly, the king was ready to give the reward. Although God promises to reward our good deeds, we sometimes feel our “payoff” is too far away. Be patient. God steps in when it will do the most good.
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Personality profile · page 777
Profile: Haman
The most arrogant people are often those who must measure their self-worth by the power or influence they think they have over others. Haman was an extremely arrogant leader. He recognized the king as his superior but could not accept anyone as an equal. When one man, Mordecai, refused to bow in submission to him, Haman wanted to destroy him. He became consumed with hatred for Mordecai. He was already filled with racial hatred for all the Jewish people because of the long-standing hatred between the Jews and Haman's ancestors, the Amalekites. Mordecai’s dedication to God and his refusal to give homage to any human person challenged Haman’s self-centered religion. Haman saw the Jews as a threat to his power, and he decided to kill them all. God was preparing Haman’s downfall and the protection of his people long before Haman came to power under Xerxes. Esther, a Jew, became queen, and Mordecai’s role in exposing an assassination plot indebted the king to him. Not only was Haman prevented from killing Mordecai; he also had to suffer the humiliation of publicly honoring him. Within hours, Haman died on the pole he had built to impale Mordecai, and his plan to wipe out the Jews was thwarted. In contrast to Esther, who risked everything for God and won, Haman risked everything for an evil purpose and lost. Our initial response to the story about Haman is to say that he got what he deserved. But the Bible leads us to ask deeper questions: How much of Haman is in me? Do I desire to control others? Am I threatened when others don’t appreciate me as I think they should? Do I want revenge when my pride is attacked? Confess these attitudes to God, and ask him to replace them with an attitude of forgiveness. Otherwise, God’s justice will settle the matter. Strength and ¢ Achieved great power, second in rank to Persia’s king Xerxes accomplishment
Weaknesses and mistakes
• The desire to control others and receive honor was his highest goal
• Was blinded by arrogance and self-importance
• Planned to murder Mordecai and built an impaling pole for him
• Orchestrated the plan to slaughter God's people throughout the empire
Lessons from his life
• Hatred will be punished
• God has an amazing record for making evil plans backfire on the planners
• Pride and self-importance will be punished
• An insatiable thirst for power and prestige is self-destructive
• Where: Susa, the capital of Persia
• Occupation: Second in rank in the empire
• Relative: Wife: Zeresh.
• Contemporaries: Xerxes, Mordecai, Esther
Vital statistics
Key verses
“When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. He had learned of Mordecai’s nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes” (Esther 3:5-6).
Haman’s story is told in the book of Esther.
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