Why wasn’t Mordecai rewarded, when he disclosed the conspiracy against the king (Esther 6:3; cp. 2:19-21)? Certainly, Xerxes expected that it would be done, but he didn’t recall what that might have been. Moreover, since Ahasuerus knew Mordecai was a Jew (Esther 6:10), why would he think to reward someone he had already planned to destroy (cp. Esther 3:8-11)? Something is amiss! It seems that Mordecai’s disclosure of the conspiracy against the king was very near the time that Haman was appointed prime minister of the empire (Esther 2:19-21; cp. 3:1). It was at this very time that Mordecai revealed his own national identity (Esther 3:4), which, when Haman discovered it, he used Mordecai’s disrespect to plot the destruction of the whole Jewish nation (Esther 3:5-6). Understanding this, we could see the reason behind the forgetfulness to honor or reward Mordecai for saving the king.
If Mordecai’s public disrespect for Haman occurred about the same time that he revealed the conspiracy against the king, Haman would have prevented any reward that might have been given Mordecai (Esther 6:3), and then kept secret from Xerxes the national identity of the “certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people, in all the provinces of (his) kingdom…” (Esther 3:8), because, if the king knew Mordecai, the king’s savior, was a Jew, he would not have consented to destroy the Jews. Thus, the whole intent of Haman’s conspiracy had to have been unknown to the king. Nevertheless, this was about to change!
Evidently, it was now morning, and the king asked who might be in the court, no doubt to consult with concerning the state’s faux pas concerning Mordecai (Esther 6:4). Haman had come early to the outer court of the king, where it was the custom for anyone to appear who desired an audience with the king. Haman was anxious to hang Mordecai on the gallows for all to see, as an example to all who might wish to show disrespect to the king’s prime minister.
The king’s servants told him that Haman had come early to the court, so the king commanded that he be allowed to come in (Esther 6:5). Immediately, the king asked Haman: “What should be done for the man whom the king wishes to honor?” (Esther 6:6). However, Haman’s pride was his master (cp. Proverbs 16:18), and he couldn’t conceive of anyone, whom the king wished to honor more than himself.
Clearly, Haman yearned to have the glory and honor that belonged to the king alone, for his heart is disclosed in his reply to the king, believing the king wished to honor his prime minister. Therefore, Haman’s reply mentions three things that belong only to the king, and they should be given the person the king wishes to honor (Esther 6:7). First, let a royal robe be brought that the king, himself, has already worn, and, secondly, let the king’s servants bring the king’s horse bearing the king’s royal insignia (Esther 6:8). Finally, let them be given to one of the king’s most noble governors, and have that one, who is among the nobles, dress the one, whom the king wishes to honor. Moreover, have this same noble governor lead the honorable man on horseback through the city square, proclaiming to all in the city: “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor” (Esther 6:9).
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