Esther 6:1-9
That Night Sleep Escaped the King
Read the passage
1That night sleep escaped the king; so he ordered the Book of Records, the Chronicles, to be brought in and read to him.
2And there it was found recorded that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the eunuchs who guarded the king’s entrance, when they had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.
3The king inquired, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this act?” “Nothing has been done for him,” replied the king’s attendants.
4“Who is in the court?” the king asked. Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to ask the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows he had prepared for him.
5So the king’s attendants answered him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.” “Bring him in,” ordered the king.
6Haman entered, and the king asked him, “What should be done for the man whom the king is delighted to honor?” Now Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king be delighted to honor more than me?”
7And Haman told the king, “For the man whom the king is delighted to honor,
8have them bring a royal robe that the king himself has worn and a horse on which the king himself has ridden—one with a royal crest placed on its head.
9Let the robe and the horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them array the man the king wants to honor and parade him on the horse through the city square, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man whom the king is delighted to honor!’”
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
That night the king cannot sleep. He has the royal chronicles brought in and read aloud. There he hears the record of Mordecai exposing the plot to assassinate him. What honor has Mordecai received? Nothing, the attendants reply.
Then the king asks who is in the court. Haman has just arrived to ask permission to hang Mordecai on the gallows he has prepared. The king calls him in, but asks a very different question: what should be done for someone the king delights to honor?
Here the narrator tells us Haman's thought.
Whom would the king be delighted to honor more than me?
His answer is elaborate. Bring a robe the king has worn, a horse he has ridden, and one of the most noble princes. Dress the honored man, parade him through the city square, and announce the king's delight in him. Haman imagines himself receiving this public honor. He does not yet know whose name the king has in mind.
The sleepless night, the old record, and Haman's arrival meet at a crucial moment. The text gives no cause for the king's sleeplessness. Read within Scripture's account of God's care for his people, these events invite us to recognize providence through ordinary circumstances. Haman's plan is already being overtaken by events he did not arrange.
Questions
1 What does the king do when he cannot sleep?
AnswerHe orders the royal chronicles brought in and read to him. The cause of his sleeplessness is not stated.
2 What does he learn about Mordecai?
AnswerMordecai exposed the assassination plot, but no honor has been given to him for it.
3 Why has Haman arrived?
AnswerTo ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on the gallows prepared for him. Instead, he is asked how someone should be honored.
4 Why does Haman suggest such an elaborate honor?
AnswerHe thinks the king must mean him. His proposal includes royal clothing, a horse, and a public proclamation through the city square.
What This Means for Us
God's care is not limited to events we can immediately recognize as remarkable. Looking back, we may see how ordinary help arrived at a needed time. Thank him for that care without claiming we can explain every delay or disappointment. We can trust him while the significance of today's events is still hidden from us.
Prayer
Father, thank you for care that reaches us through ordinary people and circumstances. Keep us faithful when we cannot see what you are doing, and humble when we receive honor. Amen.