Esther 6

Chapter six contains the plot twist of the story. At this point the reader might assume that the Jews may have to fight for their survival, and most of them would probably make it, but Mordecai was certainly doomed. The only way for Mordecai to be saved would be for something to happen to Haman, which seemed unlikely, given how close he was to the king.

Again, although God was silent, he was definitely not absent. In Daniel, he gave Nebuchadnezzar dreams to grab his attention; in Esther, he simply kept the king from sleeping, so he found another way to spend his time (Esther 6:1-5). Being the narcissist he was, Xerxes asked to have the chronicles of his reign read to him. During the reading, he discovered that Mordecai had saved him from an assassination attempt four years earlier, and nothing was ever done to reward him for that. Even for the volatile king that was unheard of. Being early in the morning, Haman was already in the hallway hoping for a meeting with the king. Xerxes saw him and called him in.

As Haman walked into the room, the king waved him over and asked, “What should I do for the man I wish to honor?” (Esther 6:6-11). What was Haman to think? Surely, he was the man to be honored, so he greedily suggested everything he wanted – royal clothes, royal authority, and the abject humiliation of all who opposed him through public exaltation. The king thought this was a brilliant idea and commissioned Haman to do all of this personally for Mordecai. Haman went through dejection and despair rapidly into depression. How could this have happened to him? Gathering with his wife and the same friends who gave him the idea of murdering Mordecai (Esther 5:14), Haman was finally faced with the truth: “If indeed this Mordecai…is Jewish, you will no prevail against him. No, you will surely fall before him!” (Esther 6:13). Without even the time to process this thought, Haman was called to Esther’s second banquet with the king.