In Est 6.1-14 we learn that the king could not sleep on the night of Nisan 16 (literally “the sleep of the king was shaken”) and it may be that his jealousy may been working on him, and “not knowing” for sure about his wife and Haman is the worst. Why was she inviting Haman to the banquet? But we know whatever it was, it was the hand of Yehovah who was disturbing his sleep and this caused the king to send out an order to bring the book of records, the chronicles, to have read before him (v 1).
It was found written in these chronicles what Mordechai did in exposing the plot to kill the king. The king also learned that nothing was done to reward Mordechai. This is the only place in the Bible where the phrase “Sefer Zikranot” which means literally “the Book of Remembrance” is used in conjunction with “Divrei Ha Yamim” or annals/chronicles. This alludes to the Scripture in Mal 3.16 where it says, “Then those who feared Yehovah spoke to one another, and Yehovah gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for those who fear Yehovah and who esteem his name.” Rosh Ha Shanah (Yom Teruah) is called “Yom Ha Zikaron” which means “Day of Remembrance.”
Why didn’t the king reward Mordechai at the time? Because it was not in the plan of God to reward Mordechai just yet. This is all part of the trap that Yehovah is laying down for Haman and the deliverance of his people. This concept should also encourage us. The Lord operates in our lives but sometimes we don’t see the fruits and rewards right away. But we must realize that everything works for the good to those who love the Lord and to those who are called (elected) according to his purpose (Rom 8.28).
Then the king said as all this was going on, “Who is in the court?” Well, according to the plan of God, Haman just happens to come to speak to the king about hanging Mordechai on the gallows had just prepared. God had ordered the steps of Haman to appear before the king at a time when the king could not sleep. The Ruach Ha Kodesh had caused both men to remain awake that night, and Haman arrives at the exact moment the king realizes that Mordechai has not been rewarded yet for saving his life.
The king is told, “Behold, Haman is standing in the court.” So the king tells his servants to let him in. So, Haman comes in and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?” Haman said to himself because of his pride, “Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?”
The timing here could only be orchestrated by the hand of Yehovah. Both men can’t sleep, and the king wants to honor Mordechai at the same time Haman is coming to ask the king for the death of Mordechai, and Haman thinks the king wants to honor him! So Haman tells the king the things he would like to be done to him, but then he finds out that the honor is going to Mordechai, and Haman must carry it out for Mordechai. So, instead of killing Mordechai, he must honor him! Surely Haman is beginning to see his downfall coming, right? Let’s see!
Haman must put the royal robe on Mordechai and lead him through the city square on one of the king’s horses. This is a picture of the coronation of the Messiah, and Haman’s humiliation is a picture of the degradation of Satan and the False Messiah. Then Mordechai returned to his position at the king’s gate, and Haman hurried home, mourning with his head covered in utter humiliation. All of this had to be done before Esther’s banquet later that day (Nisan 17). And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that took place. Haman believed that all of this was just a coincidence and he still intended on going to the king for permission to hang Mordechai.
On the other hand, Zeresh and his friends did not share Haman’s view on these events, and they tell him, “If Mordechai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the seed of the Jews, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him.” They saw it coming and must have had some knowledge of Jewish history and what God had done in the past. They knew of God’s promises. While they were speaking, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hastily brought Haman to the banquet which Esther had prepared. It’s too late for Haman because all the pieces are coming together too fast and they will lead to Haman’s demise.
Eschatologically, it will also be the same for the unbelievers who follow the False Messiah when Yeshua comes at the end of the birth-pains (tribulation). Esther’s banquet alludes to the Feast of Leviathan after the judgment between the sheep and the goats (Matt 25.31-46). When Yeshua returns on Yom Kippur to Jerusalem (Matt 24.29-31) there will be a judgment, and the unrighteous will be gathered first (Matt 13.24-30) to Jerusalem as Yeshua sits on the Mount of Olives. These are judged and killed. Their bodies are taken to the Valley of Hinnom, also called the Tophet (Jer 7.32-34, 19.1-5) and the Valley of Decision (Joel 3.9-17). This valley in Hebrew is called “gei Hinnom” or “Gehenna.”
The bodies of these unbelievers will be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the field (Ezek 29.2-7, 32.1-8; Matt 24.27-28; Luke 17.37; Rev 19.21), and this event is called the Feast of Leviathan in Jewish eschatology, and Leviathan is another word for the False Messiah and these are his followers who are alive on the earth when Yeshua returned (Isa 27.1; Psa 74.13-14; Psa 104.26; Job 26.12-13; Rev 13.1, 19.11-21).
Est 7.1-10 tells us that the king and Haman came to the Banquet. This is now Nosan 17 and the king asks Esther for the third time what her petition is. Esther asks, “Let my life be given me as my petition, and my people as my request” (referring to the 13th of Adar when Haman’s plot is to be carried out against the Jews). She then says, “we” have been sold to be killed, not just sold as slaves. If it was only to be sold as slaves, Esther said she would not have even brought it up because the matter was not worth the attention of the king (v 4). The plan to exterminate the Jews is seen all through history, and is going on right now. It will also be attempted by the False Messiah in the birth-pains.
The king immediately asks, “Who is he, and where is he, who would presume to do this?” The queen of the king was threatened, and her family. Ahasuerus, or Xerxes, is famous for his temper. Haman does not know that Esther is a Jew and a target of his plot, and that she is related to Mordechai. All the king knows is that his wife is threatened, but he does not know she is Jewish at this point.
Then Esther, says, “A foe and an enemy is this wicked Haman.” Haman hears this and is terrified and all his best laid plans against the Jews and Mordechai won’t save him now. Haman was an enemy, not only to the Jews, but to the king. His kingdom could be destabilized due to the loss of so many productive citizens, and the loss of revenue and productivity.
The king arose and went into the palace garden to “cool off” and to think. He knows he has a temper, but in his drunken state he leaves Esther alone with Haman. In one example of his temper, Xerxes is going to invade Greece and he has to cross the Hellespont (Dardanelles today) with his huge army. They needed a bridge to across over, so they built it beforehand. When it was set up a storm came and destroyed the bridge, and Xerxes went out to the sea and whipped it 300 times while his men watched and cursed the sea. They rebuilt the bridge and eventually crossed over to Greece, where they were eventually expelled out of Europe by the Greeks back to Persia. This is the person Haman had to deal with now.
Knowing that harm had been determined against him, Haman begins to beg for his life to Esther. When the king returns, he sees Haman falling on the couch where Esther was. His suspicions of Est 5.4-8 and his jealousy is being confirmed in his mind. He even accuses Haman of assaulting the queen “with me in the house?” As he said this, they covered Haman’s face so the king doesn’t have to see him anymore. The fear of Haman alludes to the fear that will come upon Satan and the False Messiah as they experience the wrath of the King of Kings.
Harbonah (donkey driver) was the one who went to get Haman and bring him to the banquet. He told the king that there was a gallows at Haman’s house that was made for Mordechai. Evidently, while Harbonah was waiting for Haman at his house he saw the gallows and overheard the plot to hang Mordechai on it.
This gallows was a stake on which they would impale a person, and this was 80 feet high. This is not like a gallows you would see in a cowboy movie when they would hang a criminal, this was much worse. So the king said, “Hang him on it” and they took Haman and hanged him (impaled him) on it. After this, Est 7.10 says that the king’s anger “subsided.” The word “subsided” in Hebrew is “shakah” (shin, kof, hay) but in this verse the word is written with an extra kof or “shakakah” (shin, kof, kof, hay). This shows that the king was really, really angry at Haman. Haman’s plot nearly killed his wife and he still thought Haman was assaulting his wife when he fell on her couch, making him think Haman was plotting to kill him and take the throne, along with Esther.
Now, remember, this was Nisan 17 and this date is very significant eschatologically. Here are just a few examples from Jewish history. Noah’s Ark rested on the mountains of Ararat in Gen 8.4 (on the civil calendar); Moses crosses the Red Sea and Pharaoh dies on Nisan 17; Hezekiah cleanses the Temple by Nisan 17 (2 Chr 29.3-28). Most importantly, Yeshua was resurrected from the dead on Nisan 17. Haman’s death on Nisan 17 was no coincidence. His defeat is a picture of God’s judgement and justice.
We will pick in Est 8.1-17 in Part 5.
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