THE HUMILIATION OF HAMAN (Esther 6:1-14)
INTRODUCTION:
This morning we continue our study of the book of Esther. It has been said that “although the name of God is not in this book, the hand of God is plainly seen throughout.”[1] In the chapter we are to look at today God’s hand is so plainly seen, in every verse we see God’s overruling providence and His unfailing love and care for His people. This morning we have reached the point in this history that God begins to turn the events in favor of His people. The opposition between Haman and Mordecai is approaching a climax. Queen Esther is preparing to reveal to King Ahasuerus the true nature of Haman. She has approached this revelation carefully as it is always a delicate thing to reveal the dishonesty and treachery of some trusted friend. Because of this Esther has moved slowly, this has awakened the king’s curiosity and is building up his sense of expectation as he waits to hear Esther’s request. This delay has also caused Haman to drop all his subtlety so as to seek boldly and openly the destruction of Mordecai by nailing or impaling him on a gallows 75-80 feet high. Let’s pray and then get into our passage for this morning.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to Esther 6:1-14. Please if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along while I read.
Esther 6:1-14,
“During that night the king could not sleep so he gave an order to bring the book of records, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. It was found written what Mordecai had reported concerning Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who were doorkeepers, that they had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. The king said, ‘What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?’ Then the king’s servants who attended him said, ‘Nothing has been done for him.’ So the king said, ‘Who is in the court?’ Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king’s palace in order to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows which he had prepared for him. The king’s servants said to him, ‘Behold, Haman is standing in the court.’ And the king said, ‘Let him come in.’ So Haman came in and the king said to him, ‘What is to be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?’ And Haman said to himself, ‘Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?’ Then Haman said to the king, ‘For the man whom the king desires to honor, let them bring a royal robe which the king has worn, and the horse on which the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown has been placed; and let the robe and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble princes and let them array the man whom the king desires to honor and lead him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him, “Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.”’ Then the king said to Haman, ‘Take quickly the robes and the horse as you have said, and do so for Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the king’s gate; do not fall short in anything of all that you have said.’ So Haman took the robe and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, ‘Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.’ Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman hurried home, mourning, with his head covered. Haman recounted to Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, ‘If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish origin, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him.’ While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hastily brought Haman to the banquet which Esther had prepared.” (Esther 6:1–14, NASB95)[2]
A SLEEPLESS SOVEREIGN (Esther 6:1-3)
How often has an important event been brought to fruition by seemingly trivial happenings? This chapter opens with a restless king who cannot sleep, and because of this his empire is saved from a disastrous atrocity. I am sure that when Ahasuerus retired to bed that night he expected that he would drift quickly off to sleep. But that did not happen, as is often the case for those who cannot sleep, his mind was too busy to allow him to sleep. Possibly he was running through the events of the day, and he was curious and perplexed with Queen Esther’s behavior. Why had she come to him with the strange request that the king and Haman come to a banquet that she had prepared for them? Why would she do this at the risk of her own life? There had to be more to this than just a meal, she did seem troubled when she first approached him. He could not sleep, he just kept tossing and turning until finally he decided to have something read to him to get his mind off his thoughts and possibly get some sleep. He sent for the chronicles of the kingdom. We see God’s hand at work already as he does not allow Ahasuerus to sleep.
Perhaps you think that Ahasuerus certainly picked the right kind of book. Could there be anything duller than the records of the kingdom, this should put him right to sleep. But these records were not dull accounts, they were records of memorable deeds and events that happened in the kingdom, true accounts of adventure and heroism. They were fascinating records of costly and daring achievements, exciting and significant history. On this particular night the servant selected the scroll that contained the history of a certain Mordecai and his act of loyalty towards Ahasuerus. Remember back in chapter two we read of Mordecai’s discovery of the treachery of two of the king’s trusted eunuchs, these two eunuchs were guards at the king’s door, and they had plotted together to assassinate the king. At risk to his own life, Mordecai reported this plot to Queen Esther, and she reported it to King Ahasuerus in Mordecai’s name. The king knew of the incident, but the fact that Mordecai was the one who brought this plot to the king had escaped his notice. Not until this record was read to him in the early morning hours did the king realize the unpaid debt he owed to Mordecai for saving his life.
The discovery of this act of loyalty moved the king greatly. In the ancient days, as even today, palace revolt was the torment and fear of every king. Because of this the king did not take this lightly, but upon hearing the record he was gripped by the sudden realization that he owed his very life and throne to Mordecai.
Do we not have a parallel to this in our own lives? In the Bible we have a record of memorable deeds. In this book we have the record of the One who risked His life for us. In the dark hours on the cross, Jesus Christ entered into a death struggle with the powers of darkness that were against us. It is the most daring deed ever recorded in human history. There is nothing like it anywhere else in the records of mankind. One man, abandoned and alone, struggled with invisible, inconceivable forces of evil and conquered them for us. It is this record which God uses to break through the stubborn willfulness of our hearts and makes us realize that we were bought at an incredible price. We owe our very lives to this man, the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is what the Holy Spirit brings before us when He wishes to awaken us to the fact that the flesh is not our friend, as we think, but an enemy. “…you are not your own”, the apostle Paul writes, “for you have been bought with a price…” (1 Corinthians 6:19b-20a, NASB95)[3] The only One you can trust is the One to whom you owe your life. It is when we discover the right of Jesus Christ to our life that we have found the basis of all deliverance and victory. This discovery is more than just acknowledgement that Christ died for us. This discovery is the quiet realization that you truly are a branch plucked from the fire, a sinner pulled out of the mirey clay, and that you truly have no right to a life of which He does not approve. It is when this truth breaks in upon you with a shattering, staggering understanding that He who risked His life for you is your true friend.
This is a very significant moment for King Ahasuerus. He does not yet know the true character of Haman, but for the first time he is made aware of the fact that Mordecai is his friend. He is deeply moved by this discovery and though it is yet early in the morning he hastens to display the gratitude he feels.
A PRIDEFUL PRIME MINISTER (Esther 6:4-9)
Because the king wants to thank and honor Mordecai for his loyalty even though it is early morning he asks his attendants, “who is in the court?” It is not clear if he heard someone in the outer court or was just asking if there was anyone who was in the court. By a strange twist of fate—one of those coincidences that is never a coincidence—Haman had just arrived at that moment at the palace, he was eager to propose his murderous plan to the king. When Ahasuerus hears that it is Haman, he tells his attendants to let him in. Before Haman can even begin with his proposal, the king greets him with the words, “What is to be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?” Haman ponders this question and in his twisted mind he can think of only one man who fits this description of “the man whom the king desires to honor.” And that man is himself. The king is asking how I would like to be honored by him. How characteristic of our flesh. We feel that we should be the ones to get the respect and the honor. We are bitter and resentful when that does not happen the way we thought it should. We feel cheated of what we thought we deserved. In our own mind we have as much a right to honor as the next man, and if we are passed over, we leave the clear impression that sooner or later our superior qualities are sure to be recognized. That is the mind of the flesh, that is Haman.
What is truly remarkable is that Haman does know and understand what true honor is. True honor is not some meal where we are the honorary guest, nor is it a gold watch, nor a plaque to hang on the wall. Haman knows that there is something far better than that. It does not take him long to reply to the king. He says in effect, “If you really want to honor this man in whom you delight, give him some of the royal clothes that you have worn, supply him with one of the royal horses that you have ridden, you know the one’s that wear the royal crest on their heads and let him be paraded through the town by one of your most noble princes proclaiming, This is what is done to the man whom the king desires to honor—in other words, give him yourself, publicly.
That is true honor! Jesus said in John 12:26, “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” (John 12:26, NASB95)[4] The honor that God gives is Himself. He offers to clothe us in His own righteousness, and He is preparing a place for us in His home. He gives Himself to us. What about you? Do you honestly desire to honor the One to whom you owe your life? Then there is only one way you can do it. Give Him yourself. Give Him authority in and over your life. Give yourself entirely to Him. Paul put it this way in Romans 12:1, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” (Romans 12:1, NASB95)[5] Give Him the right to be Lord over every area, every detail, every aspect of your life. That is what true honor is.
AN HONORED HERO (Esther 6:10-12a)
Haman told the king how he would want to be honored, thinking that he himself is who the king desires to honor. Unknown to him that in this description of honor he is to be the most noble prince to parade around the one he wanted to hang on his gallows. Haman has signed his own death certificate. Ahasuerus said to Haman, “Take quickly the robes and the horse as you have said, and do so for Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the king’s gate; do not fall short in anything of all that you have said.” (Esther 6:10b, NASB95)[6] Talk about a reversal. Imagine the bitter humiliation as Haman, in a blinding rage, walks through the streets of the city leading the king’s own horse with Mordecai seated on it wearing one of the king’s royal robes. Can we even begin to imagine what must have been going through Haman’s head? All his plans of glory have fallen through. All his proud ambitions are threatened by this painful, humiliating thing that he must do. Outwardly he is praising Mordecai, “Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.” But inwardly Haman must have been grinding his teeth in rage and awaiting a time of revenge.
The whole point of what is happening here is that Haman does this humiliating thing. The truth is that he will do anything as the price of survival. He is willing to stoop to any hypocrisy, any deceit, as long as he himself can stay in the seat of power. Left to itself, the flesh is openly arrogant, overbearing, boastful, lustful, cynical, and proud. But when driven into a corner, it can assume the garb of righteousness. It becomes pious, religious, conscientious about morals, zealous in church work, upset over wrongdoing. Have you ever met Haman like this, walking through the streets of the city openly proclaiming, “Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor,” but inwardly seething, hating, willing to do anything that looks good as long as it can survive?
Perhaps as a Christian you have found that it is very possible to look like you are serving Christ, but in reality, you are not. You can say the right things, you can go to the right places with the right people, but inside you are still determined to have your own way and run your own life. Perhaps you have in some way sinned against someone and you know the Christian thing to do is apologize and ask forgiveness; so, you go through the motions, you say the words, but inside you vow that you will never forget. That is the flesh—your Haman—bowing to the demands of the king, but only because it is the price of survival to be a respectable Christian.
Haman will do anything. He will be as religious as he needs to be, anything as long as he can survive. The flesh can learn a Bible verse, it can teach Sunday school, it can donate money, it can give a testimony, it can sing, it can preach a sermon. The flesh can apologize after a fashion and even appear to repent. But there is one thing the flesh will never do, it will never surrender, it will never change, it will never give up—never! It is a slippery, elusive thing and when backed into a corner it simply takes on a disguise and appears in a different form, but it is the same old deadly evil flesh. It would rather wreck your life than give up. The righteousness of the flesh is always a counterfeit righteousness. It is centered on self. Haman can seemingly honor Mordecai, but in fact he never really does. Thus, outwardly the flesh can seemingly please God, but it never really does. Romans 8:8 declares, “…and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:8, NASB95)[7]
There is only one way the flesh, our Haman, can be overcome. It must be put to death. And when, in desperation, it is driven to disguise itself as religious and moral, its end may be very near. After parading Mordecai through the streets of the city, we read that Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. He returned to his former position to carry out his appointed duties.
A FAILING FOE (Esther 6:12b-14)
Haman hurried home mourning with his head covered. After the humiliating role he had just been in, Haman reads a lesson in it all and in shame and confusion he hurries from the public’s view to the seclusion of his own house. He is mourning because he has a premonition that things are going from bad to worse. He knows it is of no use for him to now seek permission to hang Mordecai. The gallows stand in his courtyard like a monument to folly and vanity, still towering up to heaven, casting a shadow that speaks of approaching disaster. He seeks to console himself by relating all that has happened to him since he left home. We read the response of his wife and his friends who are called wise men in the end of verse 13, “Then his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, ‘If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish origin, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him.’ ” (Esther 6:13b, NASB95)[8] Little comfort does Haman find in the words of his wise men and his wife. And while they are still talking to him, the king’s eunuchs arrive and hastily bring Haman to the banquet Esther had prepared. His enthusiasm is greatly diminished. He would, without question, prefer retirement at home until he regained his accustomed poise and self-confidence, but the king’s command must be obeyed. Yesterday the invitation to dine with the king and queen gladdened his heart. Today all has changed. Already he has been greatly humbled. One step remains to bring about Haman’s defeat. Haman’s slimy guise of friendship must be stripped from him in the presence of the king. Before the remaining hours of light pass Haman shall have more crushing experiences still and shall prove to the full the truth of the ominous prophecy of Haman’s wife and friends.
CONCLUSION:
In this book where God’s name is never mentioned, we see God’s hand throughout. In this chapter especially we see God working behind the scenes to bring about the defeat of His enemy and to care for His people. Where do we see the providence of God in this chapter. First, it is seen in the fact that Ahasuerus cannot sleep and his calling for the chronicles of the kingdom to be read to him. The fact that his attendant chose the volume or scroll that contained the record of Mordecai’s loyalty and heroism in saving the kings life is not a coincident. The fact that Haman was in the outer court right when the king was seeking advice on how he should honor someone also is God’s providence. The humbling of Haman in having to honor Mordecai could only be God’s hand at work, and as we will see that the words of Haman’s wife and friends are prophetic words given to them by God.
What does this mean for us? That even when we do not know it or see it, God is at work. Our nation may be in shambles in our eyes, but God is in control, He knows exactly what He is doing. Just as God worked in the Media-Persian empire to save His people and bring glory to His name; what He is doing in our lives, our community, our nation and the world is to bring about His purposes in His creation and we can rejoice and we can trust in His perfect providence and know that His purpose for His people will be fulfilled and He will be glorified.
[1]Ironside, H. A., Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther: An Ironside Expository Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI : Kregel Publications, 2008.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.