One Thing the Bible Hardly Mentions

Perhaps more than anywhere else in the world, many Americans start their working careers with one thought prominently in their minds: retirement. “How long will I have to work before I can retire?” and “How much money will I need for retirement?” are questions they ponder.

 

I recently read about a woman, nearly 40 years into her professional career, who said she has been saving for her retirement since she was 18 years old. She’s now starting to wonder whether the funds she has accumulated, even supplemented by Social Security, will be enough when she does retire.

 

Whether it’s quitting work to spend days honing one’s golf game (or pickleball); buying an RV and traveling the countryside; moving to some retirement mecca in another state; or just spending time in a comfortable rocking chair without worrying about showing up for work, retirement is the goal – even a fixation – for lots of folks. 

 

It’s interesting that, even though the Bible speaks clearly and directly on many topics pertaining to everyday life, one subject it says very little about is retirement. The Scriptures use the word “retire” numerous times, but almost exclusively in terms of going to bed for the night or departing from a particular place. Only once does it address retiring in terms of one’s daily work.

 

In Numbers 8:23-26, God tells Moses, “This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five 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.”

 

The Levites were men appointed to perform priestly duties following Israel’s exodus from Egypt. For whatever reason, God determined that the span between ages 25 and 50 were the prime years for filling those roles. After reaching age 50, however, they were to pass those responsibilities to younger men they had been training.

 

That’s it. One mention of retiring from work in the entire Bible. So, unless any of us today are Levitical priests, the Scriptures have nothing to say about our retirement plans. 

 

There are some passages about wise planning for the future. And Ecclesiastes 3:1 declares, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” We could surmise that applies for the beginning and end of one’s working career. However, there’s nothing in the Bible to address matters such as ‘When should I retire?’ or ‘What should I do when I retire?’

 

Why is that? Perhaps it’s because as long as God gives us breath, He desires for us to use our gifts, abilities and experience for His glory, to serve Him and others. Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Deciding to put our skills and talents into cold storage once we reach a certain age isn’t a very good way of doing all in the name of the Lord Jesus.

 

This isn’t a criticism of folks who have retired and no longer have to participate in the Monday-Friday grind. Certainly, age slowly takes away some of our working capacities, so what we could easily do in our 30s or 40s might now be much harder in our 60s and 70s. But that shouldn’t mean our value, our contributions to society – and to individuals around us – should end.

 

A Toby Keith song says, “I’m not as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was.” In the eyes of God, we remain stewards of everything He’s given us until the day we take our final breath. That includes offering the vast stores of wisdom and experience that our world desperately needs.

 

Perhaps, as Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, the season for whatever work you’ve been doing has come to an end – or soon will. That only means the Lord plans to put you into another “season,” one you might find meaningful and fulfilling beyond anything you could have dreamed. Maybe what many of us need most is not retirement, but redirection. 

Retiring – or Re-firing?

Three months ago, I “retired.” After 15 years with Leaders Legacy, and 30 years before that with community newspapers and two marketplace ministries – CBMC and CBMC International, it made sense to launch a new season for my life and career.

Retirement and a hammock. To borrow from
an old Peggy Lee song, "is that all there is?"

Interestingly, my “life manual” – the Bible – says very little about retirement, at least in the way many of us think of it. From Genesis to Revelation, there’s absolutely nothing about quitting work to spend the rest of one’s life playing golf (or shuffleboard), traveling the countryside in the ole Winnebago, or simply rocking time away until someone decides we’re off our rocker.

The only direct reference to retirement in the Scriptures is found in Numbers 8:24-26, which speaks exclusively of the Levites who served as priests in the tabernacle: “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….”

There you have it, everything the Bible teaches about retirement. The term “retire” appears elsewhere, referring to sleep, or withdrawing from an area, but it seems God doesn’t think working for a long time and getting older justifies “retiring” as we typically consider it.

Does that mean it’s wrong to step away from the daily grind and start collecting Social Security, a pension, or an annuity – reaping the fruits of one’s labors? No, but as the old TV commercial used to say, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”

We hear a lot about conserving our natural resources. And I wholeheartedly concur. But what greater resource do we have than the accumulated wisdom and experience of older individuals who have learned much through their careers, as well as the process of everyday life? To withdraw from daily living to focus solely on oneself, failing to be good stewards in sharing with others the great lessons life’s journey has taught us – that doesn’t seem right.

As 2 Timothy 2:2 declares, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” This biblical admonition urges us to “pay it forward” – and what better time for doing that than when we can take a break from the rat race of the workplace, or at least slow down the treadmill?

And just because someone qualifies for retirement benefits and can stop fretting over punching a timeclock – at least as often – that doesn’t mean they should cease making positive contributions to the world surrounding us. It might be an ideal time to “reinvent” ourselves and do some things we’ve always wanted to do, but couldn’t because of job obligations.

When I talked to a friend about my thoughts on retiring, explaining I planned to continue doing what I feel I do best – writing and editing – but in a different context, he wisely observed, “Well, it sounds like you’re not retiring. You’re simply re-firing.” I liked that. That’s basically what I had in mind.

Over a long career as a journalist I’ve figured out what I do best and enjoy the most. I’m also aware of a few things – dreams or aspirations – I’ve yet to fulfill. So rather than resting on my laurels (or anything else), I’ve launched a little business enterprise for the first time, ReadyWriter Ink.

I’ve always worked for a business or an organization, so this is my first time on my own. At the same time, I’m still not working just for myself. Because, as Colossians 3:23-24 tells us, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

In fact, the name ReadyWriter Ink was inspired by Psalm 45:1, which says in part, “…I recite my composition concerning the King. My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.”

So, I don’t envision “retirement,” in the conventional sense, in my future – as long as my mind continues to work (which some already debate) and God keeps giving me ideas to write about. I’m not planning to buy one of those rocking chairs that decorate the porch at Cracker Barrel. I have no intention of taking up golf lessons, going fishing, or staring at the TV watching a baseball game ooze along at its snail’s pace.

I’m eager to see how my “re-firement” unfolds. I have some plans in mind, but as I’ve learned over the years, God’s plans are often different – and always better. There’s a season for everything, Ecclesiastes 3 tells us, and it will be fun seeing what this new one ultimately looks like.

How about you? Have you been giving any thought to retiring – I mean, re-firing?

My Take on Retirement

Recently I read an article in which experts speculated on how much a person will need to retire and still live comfortably. What struck me was they weren’t talking about people in their 60’s or 70’s. They were projecting the requirements for a person to retire at age 35!

Holey moley! Imagine going to college, earning only a bachelor’s degree, and then actually working at most about 14 years (excluding any part-time work during high school and college). Who in good conscience could work just that short duration and being content to sit back, engage in distractions for the next 35-50 years, and cease making a meaningful contribution to the world around them? Perhaps that seems like heaven to you, but I can’t fathom such a non-productive existence.

It would be nice to be financially secure, not having to fret the next paycheck, but there must be more to life than pursuing a point of continual self-gratification. Not that work should be the primary focus of our lives, but vocation is one way we contribute meaningfully to society.

On the other hand, I also read Germany is contemplating upping the national retirement age to 70 – and its citizens are grousing. The German government’s rationale is the low birth rate (meaning those retiring would leave an unfilled void in the labor pool); longer life expectancies, and the country’s already overburdened welfare system.

Now 62 and an older Baby Boomer, I know many of my generational counterparts eagerly anticipate kicking back from the daily work grind. I understand aging takes a toll on energy, strength and stamina. But for people to retire completely while able-bodied and able-minded seems terribly wasteful.

Interestingly, the Bible addresses retirement only once. Numbers 8:25-26 says, "at the age of fifty, they (Levites) must retire from their regular service and work no longer. They may assist their brothers…but they themselves must not do the work.” So Levites (Israelite priests) were to perform formal rituals between 25 and 50, then defer to younger men – but even then they were encouraged to assist or even mentor their successors.

In Genesis 1, we read God established work and gave mankind stewardship over His creation. He gives everyone different abilities, skills and gifts, not only for livelihood but also for serving others. We often hear about conserving natural resources – and I agree that’s important. But what can be a greater “natural resource” than the wisdom and experience of older workers – accountants or plumbers, medical practitioners or sales people, carpenters or teachers?

As we get older, we might need to transition into less-demanding jobs requiring fewer hours, but suddenly ceasing to offer our talents and capabilities for the benefit of others, in my view, is both selfish and irresponsible.