“There are at least five indications of God’s providence in the first five verses of this chapter: the king’s insomnia (Esther 6:1a), his choice of entertainment (Esther 6:1b), the servant’s choice of books (Esther 6:1c), the king’s delay in rewarding Mordecai (Esther 6:2-3), and the timely arrival of Haman (Esther 6:4-5).”[1] As I mentioned in my previous study, the Lord’s providence was due to Esther’s faith, not anything that Mordecai may have said or done. It seems clear from reading the Book of Esther, at least to me, that the Lord’s intervention on behalf of the Jewish nation was out of respect for Esther’s faith (Esther 4:16).
On the other hand, Mordecai, although he should be considered a righteous man, did everything he could, ignorantly, to harm the work of God in this whole matter between himself and Haman. Not only had Mordecai endangered the extinction of the Jewish nation, through his refusal to respect the office of Haman, but he put the life of the queen at risk, as well, by demanding she act immediately on behalf of the nation, even though she could have waited for a more opportune time, and that without endangering the nation further (cp. Matthew 4:7-9). At the same time that he placed the queen’s life in danger, Mordecai made himself out to be very spiritual, by expressing his own faith in high sounding, noble words (cp. Esther 4:14).
After the first banquet that Esther prepared for the king, that same night Ahasuerus was unable to sleep. One of the means the ancients could counteract his sleeplessness was to read or listen to someone else read something that is boring. What could be more boring than to read from, or have read to you, the dry chronicles or records of the days’ events (Esther 6:1). While an author might be able to bring some life to the chronicles by adding colorful explanations to what is recorded there, describing who, what, when, where, and why, state records, as they were recorded by the king’s scribes, weren’t something one might find on the “best-seller’s list” of the day, which one might purchase in one of the local markets in ancient Persia. The point was, the king couldn’t sleep, so he wanted to be bored into a peaceful slumber.
What actually occurred, however, had to do with the providence of God. The king was restless, because God made it so. The king called for the book of records to be read before him, because God moved the king to do so. Finally, the record chosen by the king’s servants was the very one, which recorded information that Mordecai gave the king that resulted in saving his life. Thus, the Lord directed their choice. Mordecai was about to be slain by Haman, but God intervened in those events to prevent the evil plan of an evil man from occurring (Exodus 6:2).
Thus, when it was read that, about the time the king repopulated his harem (Esther 2:19), Mordecai had uncovered the plot of Bigthana and Teresh to slay Ahasuerus (Esther 2:19, 21), the king stopped the reading of the chronicles to ask, what honor or good thing was given to Mordecai for informing the king of the danger he was in (Esther 6:3). However, the king’s eunuchs, who served him that evening, informed Ahasuerus that nothing was recorded in the chronicles, showing the king had done anything for Mordecai!
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[1] Warren W. Wiersbe: The Bible Exposition Commentary/History. Colorado Springs, Colo.: Cook Communications Ministries, 2003; pages 733-35; quoted from: The Expository Notes of Dr. Constable at Esther, chapter 6, the introduction.
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