The Jews had been brought to feel their entire helplessness apart from God. Satan's plans too, were well laid, and in a way, seemed very likely to succeed. Tomorrow a word from Haman to the king would send Mordecai to be hung on the gallows in Haman's house, but tonight, by God's ordination, the king was sleepless.
He who had of old spoken to kings, (Genesis 12:17; 20:3; 41:1-7,17And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife. (Genesis 12:17)
3But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife. (Genesis 20:3)
1And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river. 2And, behold, there came up out of the river seven well favored kine and fatfleshed; and they fed in a meadow. 3And, behold, seven other kine came up after them out of the river, ill favored and leanfleshed; and stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. 4And the ill favored and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven well favored and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. 5And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. 6And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them. 7And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. (Genesis 41:1‑7) etc.), and moved them to do His will (Exodus 2:5-10,5And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. 6And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children. 7Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? 8And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother. 9And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it. 10And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water. (Exodus 2:5‑10) and other passages), now caused the king of Persia to spend a. wide awake night, and to call for the book of records of the Chronicles to be brought and read to him.
Therein was it written that Mordecai had exposed the plot of Bigthana and Teresh, thus saving the life of the king, and no honor or dignity had been given to him for this. As the king was musing over what reward was most suitable for Mordecai, Haman arrived to see the king about having him hanged.
To Haman, the king then puts the question without saving if whom he was thinking,
"What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honor?"
The Agagite, believing himself to in the king's thoughts, said, what he himself wanted; the highest honors, rarely if ever before paid to a subject. He would wear the king's clothes, and ride upon the king's horse, wearing the royal crown, be led through the street of the city by one of the king's most noble princes, proclaiming, "Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honor."
What a change in Haman's feelings when he now learned that the hated Mordecai, for whose death he had just come to ask, was the man whom the king wished to be honored, and that he, the exalted Haman, was to deck Mordecai the Jew in the royal clothing, and lead him through, the street of Shushan, proclaiming him as the man whom the king delighteth to honor !
The king's word was law, and Haman could only do as he was told, but when Mordecai came to the king's gate, the other hurried home mourning to tell his wife and friends what had happened. When they heard it they agreed that if Mordecai was a Jew before whom Haman had begun to fall, no change could be looked for; Haman would certainly fall before him. Their fears were soon to be realized. So it will be when God's day for restoring Israel dawns; Gentile greatness will disappear, for the Jew is the intended bead On this earth. (See Isaiah; Zechariah 8:20-23; 14:12-1920Thus saith the Lord of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities: 21And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts: I will go also. 22Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord. 23Thus saith the Lord of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you. (Zechariah 8:20‑23)
12And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. 13And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor. 14And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. 15And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague. 16And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. 17And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. 18And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 19This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:12‑19)).
While Haman, his wife, and his wise men were talking-together about the unexpected and (to them) sad turn in events, the king's messengers came to bring Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
So far, Satan had not won a lasting victory. Would he finally? No, the enemy of God and man will be found at last the defeated one, when the world's history is closed, though he be the accuser of the brethren now to God; and sometimes a roaring lion; sometimes an angel of light in appearance, on earth, to believers.