Numbers 8:25–26: “And at the age of fifty years they must cease performing this work, and shall work no more. They may minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of meeting, to attend to needs, but they themselves shall do no work. Thus you shall do to the Levites regarding their duties.”

January 18th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

What about retirement in the Kingdom of God? Why were the Levites supposed to retire at age 50? The issue was heavy manual labor. Moving the tabernacle and its heavy articles of furniture across the wilderness required physical strength; so it was to be left to the younger priests. Notice that the older priests were to assist with various light duties and to help the younger men with advice and counsel. God was making provision for the older men to remain engaged in the work of the Kingdom of God.

There may be a medical reason for older saints to stay connected. Dr. Charles H. Hennekens of Harvard Medical School says, according to at least one important study, that retirement increases a man’s risk of dying of heart attack. “We found an 80 percent higher rate of death from CHD (coronary heart disease) among those in the study who had retired compared with those who had not.” Perhaps the Lord has built within humanity a need to remain active and to give away what has been learned during a life of service to the Lord.

Author Elizabeth Elliot, wife of Ecuador missionary martyr Jim Elliot, tells in her book Passion and Purity, of her first date with him. They went to a missionary meeting at Moody Church in Chicago where the speaker was one of the daughters of the famous missionary to Africa, C.T. Studd. She told of her father’s last hours. “He lay on his cot, gazing around the little hut and at his few possessions. ‘I wish I had something to leave to each of you,’ he said to the handful of people present, ‘but I gave it all to Jesus long ago.'”

Perhaps in these verses we find an important insight for older believers. It is wise to choose to remain active in the Kingdom of God, both spiritually and physically. It seems there is no complete retirement in the Kingdom, only a move from physical labor to a labor of advice and counsel to younger believers. Paul wrote of this to Titus: “These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children” (Titus 2:4).

“LORD help us to finish well as we serve You all the days of our lives.”