2. Mordecai's exaltation ch. 6

 Ahasuerus' insomnia 6:1-3

The reading of the equivalent of the Congressional Recordwould have put the king to sleep under normal circumstances as it probably had done on many previous occasions (cf. Mal. 3:16). Normally the king rewarded people who did him special services quickly.⁸⁴Consequently when he discovered that he had overlooked Mordecai's favor, the king moved speedily to rectify the oversight.

 Haman's recommendation 6:4-10

"Here the early bird is gotten by the worm."⁸⁵

Haman's pride preceded his fall (v. 6; cf. Prov. 16:18). He wanted to appear as much like the king himself as possible in the honors he recommended for the person he thought would be himself (v. 8; cf. Gen. 41:39-45; 1 Sam. 18:4; 1 Kings 1:33). The crown was on the head of the horse, not its rider (v. 8; cf. v. 9).

It was evidently "a special arrangement of the horse's hair to form a topknot between the ears."⁸⁶

The king knew by now that Mordecai was a Jew (v. 10). However the writer did not say Ahasuerus understood that Haman had aimed his pogrom against the Jews until Esther revealed that fact (7:4). Of course he may have known it already. It seems incredible that Ahasuerus would issue such a decree without finding out whom it would eliminate. Perhaps he planned to make Mordecai an exception and spare his life.

 Haman's humiliation 6:11-14

Haman covered his head (v. 12) as a sign of his grief (cf. 2 Sam. 15:30; 19:4; Jer. 14:3-4; Ezek. 24:17). His friends evidently realized that unseen forces were maintaining the blessing that they had observed following the Jews (cf. Num. 23:9, 21, 23; 24:9, 17, 19; Josh. 2:9-13). They saw in Haman's humiliation before Mordecai, the powerful honored Jew, an omen of even worse defeat to come. The tide had turned.

Verse 14 means that Haman hastened to go to the banquet. He did not want to be late. It does not mean that he was reluctant to go and that the eunuchs needed to hurry him along. He evidently looked forward to the banquet as an opportunity to lift his spirits little realizing that it would be the scene of his condemnation.