Interviewing for a king - a sermon on 1 Sam 16:1-23, Matt 2:1-12

It was interesting just how many people came up to me after this sermon to share their experiences of job interviews this week. As I suspect with most places at the moment, there are grave difficulties in finding work in Plymouth at the moment. It was a reminder again of how important it is to ground sermons in real-life experiences folk can relate to.

How many people here have ever gone for a job interview? If you have, then you know what a terrifying business it can be. You spend the days beforehand finding out all about the business. You polish up on your CV. You try to rehearse your answers to all the questions you think you will be asked. But when the time comes, nothing actually prepares you for the moment when the door opens and you are ushered into the room before the interviewing panel. It's just you and a few strangers staring back at you. You sit down and the ordeal begins…

Of course whether you get the job or not, depends on whether you are what the employers want. I guess many of us have had the standard letter that comes through the door a few days later which says, "You were an excellent candidate in a high-quality field but…" and then they list some reason for not selecting you. So the question then arises – what is an employer really looking for? Would anyone like to make any suggestions?

Our reading this morning from 1 Samuel is all about a job interview, although it features a process of selection you or I have probably never been involved in, and a job certainly none of us will ever be called to do. But before we dive in and look at the passage in more detail, let's start with some background.

If you're trying to find 1 Samuel in the Bible, it's helpful to know that it comes about halfway between the book of Judges and the first book of Kings - not simply because that fact helps us find the right page, but also because it reminds us of the important theme that dominates the whole book. You see, in the book of Judges the people of Israel are ruled over by…guess who? That's right, by Judges. I don't mean old men in wigs and long robes, but leaders raised up by God to deliver His people from their enemies. By the time we get to 1 Kings however the people of Israel are ruled by …guess who? That's right, by Kings. Again, I don't mean someone who simply wears a crown on a big occasion, but someone with total authority over the people he governs.

So the books of Samuel cover the transition from one kind of leader – a judge – to another kind of leader – a king. 

continued