Esther : Hidden Hand Of God

Week: Haman's Very Bad Day

• The Insomnia of King Ahasuerus (v. 1): On the very night before Haman plans to ask for Mordecai's execution, King Ahasuerus cannot sleep. Instead of calling for entertainment, he orders the official royal chronicles to be read to him.

• The Forgotten Good Deed (v. 2–3): The reader is reminded that Mordecai previously saved the king's life by exposing an assassination plot by two eunuchs (Bigthana and Teresh). The king discovers that Mordecai was never given any reward or honor for this life-saving act. 

• Haman Arrives Early (v. 4–5): Haman arrives in the outer court early in the morning with a single goal: to ask the king for permission to hang Mordecai on the 75-foot gallows he built. Before Haman can speak, the king interrupts him with a question.

• Haman’s Self-Centered Trap (v. 6–9): The king asks, "What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?" Blinded by ego, Haman assumes the king is talking about him. He proposes an extravagant reward: royal robes, the king's own horse, a royal crown, and a public parade through the city square led by a high official proclaiming the honor. 

• The Divine Reversal (v. 10–12): The king commands Haman to hurry and perform every single one of those honors—for Mordecai the Jew. Haman is forced to publicly parade his bitter enemy through Susa while proclaiming his greatness

• Haman’s Humiliation and Warning (v. 12–14): Haman slinks home in deep grief with his head covered. When he tells his wife Zeresh and his advisors what happened, they warn him of a grim reality: if Mordecai is of Jewish descent, Haman will not prevail against him and is doomed to fall. Immediately afterward, the king's servants arrive to rush Haman to Esther's second banquet.