“Come on now, what do you think this is – a rest home for elderly gentlemen…??!!” I grunt in token acknowledgement of this remark, snuggle further under the bedclothes, and (some time later!) reach for the mug of tea. My dear wife, while never straying in the direction of ven­erating years per se – and certainly not being retiring by nature – is nonethe­less of a kindly disposition. At least she concedes that there is a need for some stimulus...

I can’t remember what I had envis­aged formal retirement to be (on the eve of it, some 13 years ago), but I suppose it did include some contented sleep-ins!! No particular plans were made by Anne and me, except that we did look forward to the prospect of settling down in our very own home, having more time for gardening, and – most of all – being back in the midst of our immediate family. In Christian ministry one’s ‘family’ is nec­essarily quite large, and sometimes very demanding: we were more than ready to relinquish its day-in-and-day-out re­sponsibilities, and move on to a more tranquil scenario. To date – and to our surprise and delight – our ‘retirement’ has at times been anything but that!

The World of Retirees⤒🔗

In former times, ‘retirement’ was usually only something that took place for the male/husband ‘breadwinner’. For most of his working life he served in the one firm, gradually worked his way up through the ranks, and at the age of 65 was officially farewelled. If his contribu­tion had been really appreciated by the management he was presented with a gold watch! I can recall reading that all this took place with my maternal grand­father. Not infrequently, however, the life-long workhorse, suddenly ‘put out to grass’, did not find the greener pas­tures materializing. Work had become an end in itself, there was nothing to replace it, and not a few retirees de­parted this life within a short space of entering into their new ‘free’ status. My grandfather, though, continued to enjoy his landscape painting.

These days it is a very different scene. With two-income families, superannu­ation levies and contributions, and the prospects of much earlier retirement (or multiple ‘retirements’, from a series of work-situations), the economic factors have come much more into play.

Many couples look forward to becoming ‘grey nomads’, embarking on repeated (and sometimes extensive) tours at home and abroad. At long last there is the opportunity – and means – to do so, and they happily set about spending their ‘children’s inheritance’ (as they say). Quite often, too – because of welfare arrangements – they invest their savings in larger, well-appointed dwellings, even though their children have long departed the ‘nest’. Retirement is seen as the opportunity to live a cosmopolitan and cushy life.

The Christian and ‘Retirement’←⤒🔗

I must confess that until I was asked to write on this subject (some years ago) I had never really worked through – from the Scriptures – this matter of ‘retire­ment’. I would gauge that most of us – our thinking and planning moulded by the ever-intruding world (see Rom.12:2) – would not get much beyond follow­ing its general stream of thought ... in moderation, of course! Well, then, what should be the Christian attitude to the prospect of ‘retirement’?

It is interesting to note that the word “retire” – in the sense that we are discuss­ing it – only appears once in the Bible (NIV & NASB versions), in Num. 8:25.

In this chapter Moses is brought to deal, by the Lord, with the duties of the Levites – their consecration (vv.6-13), their setting-apart for tabernacle service (vv.14-19), and the acceptance by these servants of the obligations laid upon them (vv.20-22).

There now follows the brief section (vv.24-26) about their ‘retirement’ years, after they reach the age of 50. Here we read:

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.

From chap. 3 (vv. 21ff.) it is clear that the giant work-force of the Levites was engaged in “the heavy work of erecting, dismantling and transport­ing the tabernacle, a job suited to men in the prime of life...” (so Wenham, in his Tyndale Commentary). This means that the instruction as to working “no longer” related to the heavy work: at the age of 50 they were assigned ‘light duties’, with the obligation to “assist” (or ‘serve’) their brothers in the tabernacle (v.26). In this we see that there was no lifting of the requirement to serve – only a lightening of that service, in view of the advance of years.

In case one is tempted to think that the (only) relevant application of this section is to the labours of the ordained pastor-preacher(!), let us remind our­selves that the Levites were set apart to serve in place of the “firstborn” of every household (Num.3:12, 8:14, etc.). They were thus to represent the service of every Israelite to the Lord! From this we gather two important things:

1. that no matter what vocation/occupation we may be engaged in, we are there to serve the Lord (see Ephes.6:5-9; Rom.12:1); and
    
2. no matter how long we live, we remain on ‘active service’ for Him – there is not even a ‘demobbing’ in glory ... rather, a ‘promotion’! (see 2 Tim. 2:12a; Rev. 7:9-17)

It is not difficult to imagine the apostle Paul quickly dismissing the mere notion of any ‘re­tirement’ from his apostleship. The very epitome of the Lord God’s servants, our Saviour – even though having fully ac­complished the life-work given Him to do – continues to serve in His High Priestly capacity, as “he always lives to intercede” for His brethren at the right hand of the Father (Heb. 7:25b).

The Distinctly Spiritual Aspect←⤒🔗

Perhaps, in our consideration of the matter of ‘retirement’, it is the spiritual aspect which escapes our attention. Yes, with the advance of years (and the toll that they can take), we do need – as did the Levites – to ‘turn from’ the heavy, demanding nature of our work: but, that doesn’t mean having the licence to turn into a ‘couch potato’ ... to abandon all work. As we have seen (above) the word ‘retirement’ is not in the Lord’s service manual. But we also need to realise afresh just how good it is for us to be engaged in worthwhile labour (see the ‘Creation Ordinance’ of Gen. 1:28). Granted, the “toil” amidst burgeoning “thorns and thistles” may eventually get beyond us – as three-score-and-more is chalked up – but we can still lend a hand with the smaller weeds. The exhortation “Let us not become weary in doing good” stands for us all ... as does the inviting promise! (Gal. 6:9). The Lord God has not placed any age limit on the keeping of the 4th commandment: the Sabbath “rest” may become all the more inviting with the years, but the other six days of “work” is a requirement which has not been abrogated for those leaving the work-force!

Finally, here, we note that the Preach­er (in Ecclesiastes) has something to say about the ‘seasons’ of our life. In that memorable chap. 3, in which he tells us that “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” (v.1), we note that there is no cessation of “activity”, and that there is no mention of any season of ‘retire­ment’!! In his survey of all the ups and downs of life for those living “under the sun”, all is encompassed within the parameters of “a time to be born and a time to die” (v. 2a). In this sweeping appraisal of God’s providential dealings with creature-man, however, we are not left in the grip of an endless, meaning­less cycle of events, but given a glimpse of life’s activities as they proceed ‘under the Creator’. We are to see that “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (v. 11a): there are delights to explore. “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men...” (v.11b): under God’s over­arching sovereignty, the eternal dimen­sions of what is taking place are there for us to come to grips with. All our deeds ... all our use of time ... will be brought “to judgment” (v. 17): we are accountable for how we ‘spend’ all our days.

These are sobering truths, yet they also embrace exciting challenges.

Some Personal ‘Findings’←⤒🔗

Generally speaking, adjustment to ‘retire­ment’ for the family bread-winner is not always easy: the transition can be stress­ful. The scene of operations is now the ‘home front’. While our wives have long been productively well-occupied in this venue, the change of place (and pace) can be quite unsettling for us refugees from the work-a-day-world. If work has become an end in itself, there is a danger of ‘retirement’ becoming the same. Ces­sation of an ordered week can lead to a certain aimlessness, and indolence; in due course, there can be the ‘hanging up your boots’ of any worthwhile contribution, and (especially with the advancing years) an increasing sense of uselessness.

But, as has already been pointed out, there should be no opting-out or fading-out at any point in the believer’s life. Once a servant, always a servant! The Lord God does not present us with any ‘gold watch’ to mark the termination of active service in this life: the apostle Paul looked forward to a “crown of righteous­ness” laid up for him in glory! Sanctifica­tion is not completed upon any formal ‘retirement’: we are all required to avail ourselves of ‘the means of grace’, no matter how advanced in years we are, and retirees have the wonderful opportunity of doing just that in increasing measure. Moses – living well beyond ‘four score’ years – has prayed to the everlasting God “Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Ps. 90:12): length of days can become a burden unless they are filled by the Saviour’s “unfailing love” ... unless we know the Lord’s favour upon the (continued!) “work of our hands”.

Dear fellow-retiree, you remain a child of God and need to continue growing. Throw yourself into renewed Christian service – take every oppor­tunity to build up yourself and the Lord’s people in worship, fellowship and service. Above all, cling to Christ ... dwell upon the Word of life, and know its nourishment ... and, even when the limbs get shaky, seek to “keep in step with the Spirit”. Finally, when scope for the ‘doing’ has diminished, it is the ‘being‘ which assumes the greater dimension (see Tit. 2:2, 3). May we all “still bear fruit in old age” ... may we all “still say fresh and green” – in the Lord’s strength, by His grace!