Esther 6:1-13: The Beginning of Haman’s Very Bad Day

The Rev. Nick Koschmann, pastor of Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Forest Grove, Oregon, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Esther 6:1-13. Haman goes to the King’s palace early, eager to convince him to authorize the execution of Mordecai. Providentially, he arrives just as King Ahasuerus is seeking someone to advise him on how to best reward Mordecai for previously foiling an assassination plot against him. He asks Haman how to honor a worthy, but unnamed man. Ironically, Haman, thinking the King wants to honor him, has very specific ideas of how to reward and celebrate this mysterious man. The King then orders Haman to carry out everything he suggested—for Mordecai—and this is just the beginning of Haman’s very bad day. The books of Ruth and Esther from the Old Testament are the only two books in the Bible named for women, and on Thy Strong Word, we delve deep into both. The book of Esther recalls how a Jewish woman marries the Persian king Ahasuerus (Xerxes) and becomes queen. At the urging of her cousin, Mordecai, Esther uses her influence to foil a plot to exterminate the Hebrew people. Although God is not mentioned in the book, his power is at work behind the scenes.