Or, Haman's Special Day
Scripture: Esther 6:1-14
Date: October 5, 2025
Speaker: Sean Higgins
Is there a more ironic series of reversals anywhere in the Bible than with Haman in Esther 6? Haman hardly slept as he worked on, or at least oversaw the work on, his 75 foot tall gallows. He already expected a great day. He was going to get Mordecai killed and then he was going to enjoy dinner with the king and queen again. He arrived early at the palace for a quick meeting with the king, and it seems that his day is going to be even better. The king asks for ideas on how to honor a “guy,” and this makes Haman’s trifecta. Haman is going to get honor, get revenge, and get feasted. Little did he know.
This is the turning point of Esther. Between some of the previous chapters years have passed. This chapter focuses on hours.
It’s also interesting that Esther herself isn’t in this chapter. There’s no doubt, Esther is the human heroine of the book. Mordecai is a close second, but it’s her risk and influence that is key. That said, she can take zero credit for the most critical parts in the story. No way could she know that Haman would plan to kill Mordecai the same day she was planning a second dinner. No way she could have anticipated the king’s sleepless night or how he would choose to deal with his sleeplessness. No way could she have planned on an event from five years earlier being remembered now. No way could she have planned for Haman’s presence in the morning.
The point is, God’s providence keeps His promises to protect His people.
There’s the third person omniscient phrase, “little did he know.” The author knows, the reader knows, but the character can’t. Little does Haman know how differently his special day will turn out.
All of this is completely believable, and also, the way it lines up has to be more than coincidental.
Verse 1 is the turning point of the chapter. The king could not sleep. It’s more poetic than that. “Sleep fled” from him (Jacob used the same language in Genesis 31:40). Sleep doesn’t obey kings, only God.
Is insomnia typical for the king? Doesn’t matter; he’s up in the middle of the night. As king he had a variety of options to choose from. A good argument can be made that he wanted to go back to sleep and so he had an attendant come in to read some government documents. The “book of remembrances” was probably more interesting than a phone book, but by how much? The king could have called for music, for a woman, but he just so happens to call for a book.
And how many volumes was the book of memorable deeds? Ahasuerus had been king now for at least 12 years. Even just the good parts of your life for a dozen times around the sun would fill up a lot of pages. It just so happens that the part that this reader opened to included the assassination plot from five years ago that Mordecai helped to stop (Esther 2:19-23). It also just so happens that nothing was done to reward Mordecai. The Persian kings prided themselves on good rewards, which also secured loyalty for possible future trouble. It would be rare that a life-saving act such as Mordecai’s would not have been recognized.
Why sleepless? Why a book? Why this book? Why this part of the book? Why not rewarded before? It just so happens.
On top of that it just so happens that the king is in such good spirits that when he hears some noise outside his chambers he figures he’ll get a second opinion on how to honor Mordecai.
It’s Haman. He’s there at this moment to get the king to have Mordecai hung. But it just so happens that the king talks first. And, in light of line of conversation, Haman has no reason to interrupt.
Ahasuerus did want to hear what Haman’s idea of great honor would be. Haman answered exactly like the king expected. Little did he know that Ahasuerus had someone else in mind. And no way would Haman have anticipated who, and no way Haman would have anticipated that he’d be told to make it happen. The king said, ”Leave out nothing that you have mentioned.”
Haman didn’t ask for money or power. He wanted public status. He wanted to play dress up in a parade. Riding the king’s horse might be compared to riding in Air Force One, honor by association. Little did he know what kind of pride parade he was in for.
The king apparently has zero idea of the conflict between Haman and Mordecai. It’s not just that Haman will hear about Mordecai getting the honor he put on his wish list, Haman gets to watch every minute of it. At least he was on the right end of the horse.
As soon as the parade of honor is done, Haman heads home. He had his head covered; we might call it the hoodie of protection. He’s humiliated. Even the people that liked Haman, which has to be a very small number, would have known that Mordecai was his enemy. What was he going to do, yell out but then try to whisper that he didn’t mean it?
He gets to his house and tells Zeresh and his buddies what’s happened. He didn’t even get to mention to Ahasuerus the gallows. It’s all moving so quickly.
Their sort of prophetic distancing is not good either. The condition of if/then is odd. What do they mean, if Mordecai…is of the Jewish people? How could they be friends with Haman and not know that Mordecai was a Jew? Haman had said, “all this is worth nothing to me so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate” (5:13). Destroying Jews has been the whole point of Haman’s project.
You will surely fall is quite a flip-flop.
The last verse in the chapter obviously transitions to the next scene, but is the right sort of chaotic note that pauses before the next measure. It’s probably not that Haman forgot about the dinner, but that he’s been too busy dealing with his special day that’s gone a lot different than he thought. He is reeling. He’s not ready, in any way, for what’s next.
Chapter 5 is about providence and nerve. Here in chapter 6 it’s providence and pride. Esther 5 was consecrated agency, Esther 6 is providential reversal.
Everything changes in chapter 6, and Esther isn’t even mentioned. Her obedience mattered, but it wasn’t determinative. Esther could not have put all this together no matter how much nerve she had. For all Esther knew, she was just trying to stop Haman. God was doing a real number on Haman.
When God is for you, who can be against you? When God is against you, great is your fall. This isn’t Athena against Ares or Aphrodite or Apollo going back and forth in the Illiad, this is the Triune God keeping covenant with His people. God does what He wants, and wise men know where steps lead.
Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
(Proverbs 16:18 ESV)
The righteous is delivered from trouble,
and the wicked walks into it instead.
(Proverbs 11:8 ESV)
God gives the proud shovels that are just their size. Haman was about ready to fall into the pit he dug, and he wouldn’t even enjoy his last meal. Little did he know.
If God was not in control, human agency would mean squat—mere striving after wind. Because God is sovereign, our responsibility means something—sowing seeds bear fruit.
Apart from Him, who can eat or have enjoyment? With Him, who can be against you?
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20–21 ESV)