Retirement in the Bible

Many of us, including me, have often said boldly, "There's no such thing as retirement in the Bible!" Well, actually, there is.

I was reading in Numbers the other day, following the instructions given to Moses by the Lord for the people of Israel as they journeyed from the ancient land of Egypt to the land flowing with milk and honey that Israel lives in today. God was telling Moses how his brother, Aaron, and the Levites were to conduct the ministry of the Lord among the people. I came to Numbers 8:23-28:

The Lord said to Moses, "This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting, but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must not do the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites. (NIV)

So, retirement is in the Bible after all!

The Levites had a heavy responsibility. They had to offer the sacrifices every day on behalf of the people of Israel. Bloody sacrifices. They spent a good part of each day when Israel was in camp knee-deep in blood and gore. Also, they bore the responsibility of making certain every detail was as God directed it to be. Their mistake could bring the anger of God against the people. It was a very difficult ministry to say the least.

When they reached the age of 50, they were no longer allowed to carry that heavy burden on behalf of the people. They were no longer to offer the sacrifices and be the go-between for God and His people.

However, retirement did not mean they could set up a TV set in their tent and sit and watch reruns of Survival: The Sinai Peninsula all day. They could still be involved in the ministry. They could still contribute. They could still be a part of the every day struggles of the people. They were instructed to assist the Levites who were still "full-time" with their duties.

For 34 years, I was on the front line of ministry in two churches and one Christian school. I was involved in 24/7 ministry to people, ministry which sometimes got messy and heavy, putting me knee-deep in symbolic blood and gore. It was what the Lord called me to do, and I did with His help to the best of my abilities.

How good it is now to be retired from all that. But, also, how good it is to still be assisting those who are in the trenches of ministry. How good it is to continue to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, even in retirement.