Retirement - The Bible on Money

“This is what applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall enter to perform service in the work of the tent of meeting. But at the age of fifty years they shall retire from service in the work and not work any more . . . they themselves shall do no work . . .”

Numbers 8:24-26

We cannot say “thank You” enough to the Lord for giving us the Holy Spirit that leads and guides us. And these verses are prime example.

After the first read, many of us might wonder: Does that mean we should really be retiring earlier? But there is something about stopping for a moment to pray before reading God’s Word. When you read these verses again, it’s clear that this instruction was to the Levites.

Remember, the Levites played a major part of building the Lord’s temple. They toiled, they praised, they obeyed. So, God said they shall work no more, except to minister to others’ needs.

You can search. You can Google and Bing. And this is the only place you may find direction on retirement in the Bible. Yet, our entire life, all we’ve seen folks do is retire at a certain age. Not necessarily because they’re fatigued. But because it’s just something we do. It’s a coming of age.

And we’ve seen stress overcome the faces of many people, because they’re nearing or past retirement age but have no clue as to how they’ll retire without the income.

But in the Bible, we discover something else: Before there was sin, God put Adam to work. Adam was in charge of keeping the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15). So, work is intended to build character. It’s intended to keep us diligent. It’s intended for us to earn. From work comes abundance (Proverbs 12:11).

People will tell you they can’t wait to retire. Why? Because they hate their job. Is that a way to live?

God’s intentions for us to work is not for us to suffer. He establishes the work of our hands (Psalm 90:17). Prayer: As long as I’m able, I want to work. And what’s going to get me there is the truth that I work for Christ Jesus, and not for the approval of others (Colossians 3:2 3). Amen.

Reflection: What are you working for? Has this changed your thoughts on retirement?

Retirement - The Bible on Money

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