Readings for today: Numbers 6-9
“How many years do you have left?” I got asked this question for the first time in my life on our recent elder retreat. It’s a good one. One all of us have to answer at some point in time in our lives. Some of us get to choose when we retire. Some have retirement forced upon them. Some work in industries where there is a mandatory retirement age. Others are forced into retirement when their bodies break down or age catches up to them or their memory begins to fade. Some make enough money or save enough to retire on their terms. But no matter who you are or how successful you’ve been, retirement is a reality we all have to face one day.
This was true for God’s people as well. Particularly, the Levites who served the Lord at the Tabernacle and later, the Temple. Their years of service were pre-determined. They started at twenty-five and ended at fifty. “This is what pertains to the Levites: At the age of twenty-five years and upward one may begin to join the company in the work of the tent of meeting, and at the age of fifty years they must retire from performing the work and may no longer work. They may assist their colleagues in the tent of meeting, to attend to needs, but they must do no work. This is the way you must establish the Levites regarding their duties.” (Numbers 8:24-26 NET) I don’t know why the Lord chose those particular ages as boundaries for service but I do know it established a rotational system among the Levites. The older generation routinely handing off their authority and duties to the younger generation. It made for a healthy succession plan that maintained consistency and competency when it came to the priestly duties they performed. And it guarded against a particular person holding on too long or refusing to relinquish control.
I can’t tell you the number of people I’ve seen over the years try to hold onto long. The politician who dies in office well into their nineties. The parent who never writes a will or does any estate planning. The pastor who refuses to entertain the idea of stepping down. On the flip side, I can’t tell you the number of people I’ve seen over the years use their “retirement” to check out on life. Though they have so much to offer, they spend their days largely entertaining themselves rather than continuing to make a difference for the Kingdom of God. I don’t think either approach is what God wants. God wants us to use our years to bless and serve others. And then even when we retire and hand off our responsibilities, He wants us to assist those who come after us, attend to their needs, mentor them, coach them, and share with them all we have learned. This is God’s plan for succession and it’s worth considering for every one of us.
Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 10-13, Psalms 90