Sleepless in Susa — Liam Goligher’s 6th sermon on the book of Esther

Update: December, 2023, February, 2024, and October, 2025. Liam Goligher has been proven to have been living a double life. Evidence here: Liam Goligher turns out to be a wolf in shepherd’s clothing, Police ticket proving Liam Goligher’s illicit sexual activity. He was disciplined by the PCA in late 2024 and no longer has any standing in the PCA. He has returned to the UK and is posting Roman Catholic-type prayers at his personal Facebook account.

I am not going to be taking down any of my posts which feature Liam Goligher’s work. I never scrub posts from my blog. To scrub a post would result in all the comments made on the post being scrubbed also. I don’t want to to de-voice victims of abuse! I always try to prioritise the voices and viewpoints of victims-survivors. [End of update.]

Sleepless in Susa
Esther 5:14 – 6:14

In this chapter, Haman is a man with murder on his mind. Although he’s the CEO of the empire and the King’s best friend, and although the Queen has invited him as an honoured guest at two intimate dinner parties with herself and the King, Haman’s pride is despoiled by the mere sight of Mordecai — that impudent Jew at the gate of the palace who refuses to bow down to him!

In this sermon, Dr Goligher expounds upon many things which our readers will relate to, including the characteristics of the malignant narcissist in the person of Haman and what happens to such people in the end.

Although God isn’t mentioned in the book, He is powerfully at work in the narrative. He gives King Ahasuerus insomnia which prompts the King to ask for the Manuscripts of the Records of State to be read to him. Reading manuscripts of historical records and legislation might be a good way to induce sleep, but God is providentially working in all this to save His people from annihilation.

The record of service which Mordecai did many moons ago for the King by exposing the plot on the King’s life, is thus brought to the King’s attention. On discovering that Mordecai had never been rewarded, the King resolves to honour Mordecai for the service he had rendered him.

This all happens on the very night Haman is ordering a gallows be built on which to hang Mordecai.

Both Haman and the King have Mordecai on their mind: Haman wants to hang him; the King wants to honour him.

Haman is so full of himself that he assumes HE must be the one the King wants to honour, so he recommends the King bestow abundant honorifics on the worthy man. The joke is, Haman has to dress Mordecai up in the royal robes and parade him through the streets on the King’s horse, proclaiming, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the King delights to honor.”

The malignant narcissist is profoundly humiliated and given his just deserts.

God is on the field when He is most invisible. He can save His people at the last minute. And He’s quite capable of turning a crisis in the blink of an eye.

[November 2, 2025: Editors’ notes:

—For some comments made prior to November 2, 2025 that quoted from the post, the text in the comment that was quoted from the post might no longer be an exact match.
—For some comments made prior to November 2, 2025 that quoted from the post, the text in the comment that was quoted from the post might no longer be found in the post.
If you would like to compare the text in the comments made prior to November 2, 2025 that quoted from the post to the post as it is now (November 2, 2025), click here [Internet Archive link] for the most recent Internet Archive copy of the post.]

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Posts in this series

Part 1: Liam Goligher’s sermons on the book of Esther (pt 1)

Part 2: Beauty and the Beast — Liam Goligher’s 2nd sermon on the book of Esther

Part 3: Of Plots and Kings — Liam Goligher’s 3rd sermon on the book of Esther

Part 4: If I Perish, I Perish — Liam Goligher’s 4th sermon on the book of Esther

Part 5: Battle Plans — Liam Goligher’s 5th sermon on the book of Esther

Part 6: Is this post.

Part 7: Mission Impossible — Liam Goligher’s 7th sermon on the book of Esther

Part 8: Binding the Strong Man — Dr Liam Goligher’s 8th sermon on the book of Esther.

Part 9: Holy War — Dr Liam Goligher’s 9th sermon on the book of Esther

Part 10: Celebrate: Come On! — Dr Liam Goligher’s final sermon on the book of Esther