Mordecai is honored
That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him. 2 It was found recorded there that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, who had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.
3 “What honor and recognition has Mordecai received for this?” the king asked.
“Nothing has been done for him,” his attendants answered.
4 The king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows he had erected for him.
Here, as is so often the case, the author of Esther does not overwhelm us with commentary and explanation. The irony and appropriateness of the events in the text speak for themselves. The skeptic might call these events luck. We see them as a magnificent display of the providence of God.
On the very night when the future of Israel hung in the balance, the king could not sleep and requested reading material. He “just happened” to open the book to the very spot that reminded him that he owed Mordecai a reward. And Haman “just happened” to be entering the court at that very moment.