09/13/2026
“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.”
— Esther 6:1
Nugget to Nibble:
Chapter six functions almost like a sidebar to the narrative’s primary plot. However, it records a major turning
point in the book of Esther. King Ahasuerus suffers from severe insomnia, so he requests the royal records are
read to him (Esther 6:1). Providentially, the reader comes to the account of Mordecai’s discovery of a
conspiracy to assassinate King Ahasuerus. Years earlier, Mordecai’s overheard the conspiracy of Bigthan and
Teresh, the king’s officials, to murder the king. Mordecai reported the conspiracy to Esther, who informs the
king in Mordecai’s name (Esther 2:21-23). Mordecai’s name and loyalty is recorded in the royal records, but he
did not receive an immediate reward. Now years later, the seeds of faithfulness Mordecai sowed are about to
produce a harvest (Esther 6:3-4).
King Ahasuerus discusses how to honor Mordecai as Haman enters the royal court to discuss permission
to hang Mordecai. The timing creates one of the major reversals in the book of Esther. The two men hold vastly
different views of the same man. The king desires to honor the very man Haman desires to destroy.
Nevertheless, the king’s desires overrule Haman’s evil intentions. Instead of publicly hanging Mordecai, Haman
is commanded to publicly honor him. Haman is forced to clothe his enemy in royal garments, place him on the
king’s horse, and lead him through the streets of Susa while proclaiming, “Thus it shall be done to the man
whom the king desires to honor” (Esther 6:9-11).
After the procession, Mordecai quietly returns to the king’s gate, while Haman, humiliated and angry,
covers his face in disgrace and rushes home from the indignity of escorting Mordecai (Esther 6:12). The scene
vividly confirms the truth of Proverbs 11:2a, “When pride comes, then comes dishonor.”
The king’s inability to sleep, his request for the royal records, the selection of the passage pertaining to
Mordecai’s loyalty, and Haman’s arrival in the palace courts are presented as spectacular miracles in the
narrative. Yet they reveal God's silent, interlinked providential acts. God works through ordinary circumstances,
human decisions, precise timing, and sleepless nights to accomplish His divine purposes. Together, these
movements constitute the divine positioning of the Jews, preparing them for their deliverance from the decree
of death.
Outline of Text
1. The King’s Sleep. 6:1-9
a. Insomnia— The Providence of God 6:1-2
1
Esther 6:1-14
Copyright: Dr. Roche Coleman 2026
b. Mordecai’s honor 6:3-5
c. Haman’s false assumption 6:6-9
2. The King’s Suggestion. 6:10-14
a. Haman honors Mordecai 6:10-11
b. Haman vs. Mordecai— shame vs. humility 6:12
c. Haman’s counselors 6:13-14
Impact Fact
Pride is a cancer that God cures through forced humility and shame.
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