This chapter on biblical retirement is the crux of the book. Consequently, I’ve been putting it off because if I do a poor job on it, there is no reason any of you will read any further! On the other hand, it is a chapter where I'd really like feedback. One recent conversation with a friend convinced me that I ought to go ahead and get it out in front of you all. I just hope I don’t disappoint too much as he warned me, “that chapter better not suck!”
I'm also discovering that figuring out what material belongs in which chapter can be a challenge. For
example, I included something in this chapter about work not necessarily meaning getting paid. That may better belong in the chapter on work with
a reference back to it in this chapter.
I also decided to combine what had been chapters 1 (What exactly is retirement?) and 3 (Worldly view of retirement) as there was a decent amount of overlap and I think things flow better with this chapter on biblical retirement following directly after the one on a biblical view of work.
The two books to the left are the ones I read when I retired. The one by John Piper really is that small and only 30 pages long and I can summarize it in one word, don't! The one by Jeff Haanen is much more useful and worth reading. He includes some good points that I will cover in later chapters of my book.
Now, here is the chapter. Please send me your thoughts!
Biblical Retirement
One of the biggest challenges to understanding biblical retirement is that the concept of retirement didn’t really exist in biblical times. In a largely agrarian society with a lower life expectancy, people did not have the opportunity or expectation to retire. Numbers 8:23-26 is the one direct reference. It specifically says that the Levites working in the tabernacle were to retire at 50. As we’ll see, it was not what we typically think of as retirement. The Bible also has plenty so say about work, service, and personal conduct which is applicable during retirement.
As we saw in Chapter 1, retirement is largely a modern invention. That makes it unlikely that there would be much to say about retirement when the Bible was written. Today, we have both a societal expectation of retirement and the financial wherewithal for many people to live their later years without needing to make money. There were rich people in biblical times, however, that did not have to work. We will look at what the Bible has to say about how they were to live their lives and how that may apply to retirement.
Christian theologians and scholars don’t have a lot to say about retirement, but what most seem to say can be simplified to a single word—don’t. John Piper is a prominent theologian and author who wrote a small book on retirement titled, Rethinking Retirement: Finishing Life for the Glory of Christ. In that book he said, “O God, don’t let me waste my final years! Don’t let me buy the American dream of retirement—month after month of leisure and play and hobbies and putzing around in the garage and rearranging the furniture and golfing and fishing and sitting and watching television. Lord, please have mercy on me. Spare me this curse.” [i] Ben Witherington, III, a professor and theologian, in a similar vein wrote, “Take, for example, the myth that our lives should involve a period of work, which, if done well, then entitles us to retirement, maybe even early retirement! Where exactly is the notion of retirement found in the Bible? Nowhere!” [ii]
I don’t disagree with either of them theologically, but I also don’t find their statements particularly useful. Most of us will retire, at least in the sense that we will stop working to make money. We live in a time when we can retire and many of us even will be forced into doing so by job requirements or changes in the job market. Retirement as a phase of life is not the theological problem. Instead, the issue is what we do during that period in our lives. As you might expect, we can find good answers by looking at what God has to say in the Bible.
AGES IN THE BIBLE
Before diving into what the Bible says about retirement, we need to spend a little time discussing the long lifespans of people in the first eleven chapters of Genesis as well as later in the Bible. There are some things we can glean from how people lived in biblical times to retirement in our day. First, let’s look what the Bible has to tell us. Adam lived 930 years and his son Seth was born when he was 130. Adam had other sons and daughters after Seth (Genesis 5:3-5). He by no means lived the longest lifespan as Methuselah is recorded to have lived 969 years (Genesis 5:27). At 182 years, Lamech became the father of Noah and said, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the LORD has cursed” (Genesis 5:29). Lamech was lamenting his work and looking for rest at 182! Noah was 600 when the Flood started and it seems he built the ark in his 500s (Genesis 7:6). People in the early chapters of Genesis may have lived a lot longer than we do today, but they did not spend their old age in retirement.
Not long before the flood, Genesis 6:3 gives some indication that God would limit human lifespan to 120 years. That number was not a hard cap, however, as the patriarchs lived longer. Abraham lived to 175 (Genesis 25:7), Isaac to 180 (Genesis 35:28), and Jacob to l47 (Genesis 47:28). By the time we get to Moses, 120 years (Moses lifespan) was basically the maximum, much as it is today. The Bible records one exception as Jehoiada, a Godly priest of the Kingdom of Judah, lived to 130 (2 Chronicles 24:15).
Average life expectancy, however, was much lower, in part because of high infant mortality. In Jesus day, average life expectancy was in the thirties or forties. If you made it to adulthood, you could expect to live to your fifties, sixties, or even seventies. Some people, however, lived longer. For example, the prophetess Anna is described as very old at 84 years of age when she was present as Jesus was presented to the Lord as a baby (Luke 2:37). Interestingly, it says she spent her time in the “temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers.” For the purposes of this chapter, and this book, we can consider living to 100 as an accomplishment worthy of being on a jar of Smucker’s Jelly. And, living to 120 will make you the oldest person on the planet for a couple of years. Even if someone only lives to Anna’s age of 84, statistics indicate will have spent over 20 of those years in retirement.
RETIREMENT EXAMPLE OF THE LEVITES
During the forty years the Israelites spend wandering in the wilderness, Moses records the only direct reference to retirement in the Bible. It is in Numbers 8:23-26 and says,
Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “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 anymore. They may, however, assist their brothers in the tent of meeting, to fulfill an obligation, but they themselves shall do no work. In this way you shall deal with the Levites in their obligations.”
When God gave these instructions to Moses, the Levites were working in the tabernacle, as this was a considerable amount of time before the temple was built. The tabernacle was a tent surrounded by a large outer set of walls. Exodus 26 and 27 describes it in detail. The outer portion of the tabernacle was 75 by 150 feet (50 cubits by 100 cubits). The inner section was 15 by 45 feet and 15 feet tall. The furnishings housed in it were made of wood and various metals and would have been heavy. The ark of the covenant itself weighed hundreds of pounds and had to be transported via poles carried on the shoulders of some of the Levites. The tabernacle was not a camping tent with a few camping chairs inside that could be folded up and thrown into the back of a pickup truck!
The Bible also describes the duties of the Levites in great detail. Their duties included the tearing down, transporting, and erecting of the tabernacle and its furnishings as was necessitated by the wandering of the Israelites. The fabrics, timbers, and furniture that needed to be transported and assembled were substantial. Different groups of Levites (Gershonites, Merarites, and Kohathites) had specific responsibilities in that process. The physical requirements were different for the different groups, but they all included strenuous labor. I remember watching a circus tent go up not far from my house when I was growing up. It required big ropes, strong men, and lots of work. Putting up the tabernacle in a new location would have been at least that difficult as they had to work with heavier materials without the help of motors and vehicles.
Beyond the labor required for moving the tabernacle, slaughtering large animals for sacrifice was not an easy task. Sacrificing birds and grain would have been easy. Rams and bulls, however, were a different matter. It would have taken strength and endurance during festivals when many animals where sacrificed. Given the heavy manual labor involved, it is understandable that older Levites would have taken on less physical work.
With that background on the Levites and their responsibilities in the tabernacle, let’s now unpack the passage in Numbers 7. The word in verse 25 that is translated as retire in some translations, such as the NASB, is shub. In other Bible versions it is translated as cease, stop, or withdraw. Shub is a very common verb in the Old Testament that occurs over 1,000 times. At its simplest, it means to return, restore, or go back.
In verse 25, the word translated as service is tsaba is a military term most often used regarding service in the army and indicates hard service. The Hebrew word translated as work is abodah, which means to labor or serve. This is not the same word translated as work (melakah) in the Genesis creation account. In verse 26, the word translated as assist is sharath, which means to minister or serve. The emphasis seems to be on stopping the strenuous work, not necessarily on less strenuous work of assisting or serving the Levites under 50.
Regardless of the exact translation, it is clear that Levites are no longer to do the strenuous work in the tabernacle. They are, however, to assist the younger Levites. The passage does not say exactly how they are to assist. It is not difficult to imagine what that assistance might have been, possibly things like acting as a mentor to the younger Levites, praying for them, and training them in how to carefully administer the sacrifices and care for the tabernacle.
The biggest take away to me is that God is acknowledging capability changes as the Levites aged and the resulting roles they should play. He is not, however, saying that they should no longer serve. It doesn’t mean stop working entirely but acknowledges that physically demanding jobs should not be carried out as the Levites age. The important question for us is how do we apply this to our lives and our retirement? We should expect what we can do to change as we age. This is obviously true in physically demanding jobs. Some people move into management where the demands become less physical, but not everyone is able or wants to do that.
In my case, my job was not strenuous other than possibly traveling. I spent my time typing on a computer, answering emails, and going to meetings. I did find that my work became harder as I aged. For example, my ability to multitask and jump from one task to another was not as good as when I was younger. Albert C. Brooks looks at that issue in his secular book, From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life. The essence of is book is that as we age, our strengths change from quick thinking to wisdom. He makes the case that rather than lamenting the change we should lean into it. That may well mean changing our jobs or at least our roles in our jobs. The book is well worth reading to help understand what is happening to us in our careers as we age.
Whether we face physical or mental changes in our careers, we will need to adapt to them. That may mean changing jobs. Or, it may mean what we consider retirement. As we shall see, that is not the same as no longer working.
OLD AND GRAY OR YOUNG AND NOT SO GRAY
Much of what we looked at so far about retirement has been as a function of aging and it may be easy to get discouraged. It may almost feel like we are being “put out to pasture” as we age. Psalm 71 is sometimes thought of as the lament of an old person, possibly David. The last few verses, however, show hope and praise. The writer says in verses 17-18, “O God, You have taught me from my youth and I still declare Your wonderous deeds. And even when I am old and gray, God, do not abandon me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, your power to all who are to come.” The writer is not looking to kick back when old and gray, but to continue telling the world about the God he worships. It sounds rather like he plans to teach and mentor the next generation. We were created to serve God through our work and that does not go away because we age. However, as with the Levites, we probably won’t do the same work as when we were younger.
Retirement is often thought of as synonymous with old, or at least somewhat old, age. That is, however, changing. Many people retire before they are old, by any definition of old. The average age of retirement in the US is 61 and many people are retiring well before then. The FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement has gained real traction. The basic tenants of the movement are to maximize savings, reduce expenses, and invest to create passive income streams. Once you have done enough of those things, you can afford to retire.
The challenges that someone retiring in their thirties or forties are not unlike those of people retiring at a more “normal” age. They are likely, however, to be even more pronounced when someone retires before their physical or mental capabilities begin to change. Financial wherewithal is good, but it does not in and of itself provide meaning or purpose to someone’s life.
Other people face early retirement not by choice, but because of health problems or being laid off. Being forced to retire is often even more difficult than retiring early by choice, even if the financial aspects are not the big issue. The fact that God created us to work is true regardless of someone’s age, health, or job status.
A THOUGHT EXPERIMENT
In discussing this book, a friend asked me the following question, “If someone received a substantial, unexpected inheritance, what should their work look like?” It was a challenging question that I had not considered. It is, however, central to understanding retirement. Keller sees work as an inherent need for all of us, beyond that of simply making money. If the hypothetical person receiving the inheritance no longer needed to work for the money, that person would still need to work in some way to fulfill their purpose as God’s image bearer.
The newly rich person could choose to kick back and do what they feel like doing. They could sleep late, play pickleball, read, or whatever struck their fancy. Many lottery winners do just that and find out that instant money doesn’t buy them the happiness they expected. The lives of the “idle rich” also show that having plenty of money is not the panacea we might imagine.
The Bible addresses the pitfalls of being rich. One such passage is in Paul’s letter to his younger protégé, Timothy. In 1 Timothy 6:18-19, Paul tells him to instruct the rich “to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” There is nothing in there about taking it easy and enjoying life. (We’ll look more at leisure in Chapter 4.) Instead, they are to do what we are all called to do.
It may not seem like it to us, but if we are able to retire, we are rich. That doesn’t mean we don’t have to be careful about how we spend our money, but not having to work is one reasonable definition of being rich. Paul’s words seem like good instructions for retirement. For that matter, they are good instructions for life.
NO MAGICAL LINE
The key is that there is no magical line between working and retirement, no change in God’s expectations for our lives. The main difference is our greater financial wherewithal and available. If we retire at an older age, our changing physical and mental capabilities, as was the case with the Levites, may be another difference. Regardless, God created us to work and do good works.
William Lane Craig, a contemporary theologian, attempted to answer the question whether it is wrong to retire. His response is a bit lengthy, but I’ve included most of it here as it is worth considering. He said,
Jesus said, “We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work” (John 9.4). He clearly intended that as his disciples we should be engaged in the Lord’s work as long as we can, until the end comes. It would be unthinkable that we should devote the final years of our lives to the pursuit of pleasure and relaxation. So if we are able to retire from earning an income because we have planned carefully for our final years, so as to carry our own expenses and not burden our children financially, nevertheless we never step back from a life of discipleship, but take up our cross daily to follow Christ. We should look for ways in which to do the Lord’s work. Of course, ill health may severely restrict what we can do; but what we must not do is substitute pleasure-seeking or a leisure lifestyle for following Jesus. It's so easy to let the world squeeze us into its mold. We often unthinkingly accept the mores of the culture around us without even realizing it. The Western ideal of retirement is precisely one such unbiblical assumption.”[iii]
Craig is right to contrast pleasure and relaxation with work. There is a place for both, and the amount of each will differ at points in our life. Work never ceases to part of being created in God’s image. The key in retirement is that we may no longer need to earn money to live, so what form that work takes on can change. Coupled with the extra time often available when we retire, we are able to work in a much wider variety of ways.
He also raises an important point about disabilities, in retirement or any age. Much of what we covered on retirement and work has not taken that into account. While the opportunities for work may well be more limited for someone with a disability, that does not mean they will not find meaning in work. Where I live there is a coffee shop named Esteamed Coffee. It provides work for people with disabilities. Its goal is not just for them to make some money, but to provide the esteem that comes from doing work. So too, Anna the prophetess in Luke was “very old,” but was able to continue to work for the Lord through fasting and prayer.
How we live in retirement is arguably no different from how we should have always lived our lives. The big changes are that making money is no longer the priority it once was and we have more time available. That means the freedom to spend our money and time on God’s work.
Retirement is an amazing opportunity to restart your life.
UNPAID WORK
It is important to understand that work is not defined by being paid. Today, we often think of work coming with a paycheck. Adam and Eve were not paid for their work in the Garden of Eden. It is not even clear that tending the garden was necessary for them to eat and survive. Lots of important work may well not be paid work. I defy anyone to claim that what a housewife or caregiver does is not working. The same is true of charity work or serving in our local churches.
Once the need to make money is not a driving concern, the kind of work we can do for God expands greatly. Gene Edward Veith, Jr. is a professor and author who makes some excellent points in this regard. He says, “We have callings in different realms—the workplace, yes, but also the family, the society, and the church. Someone who is retired may no longer be in the workplace, but he may still pursue his callings as a grandfather, a concerned citizen, and perhaps as an elder in his church. Some people find their callings in spheres other than the workplace—a woman who refuses a job so she can devote herself to her children; the independently wealthy man who does not need to work, so he devotes himself as a citizen to philanthropy; the elderly shut-in who devotes her energy, as a Christian, to prayer.” [iv]
One area of work that increases in importance and possibility once we retire is that of service. Again, the example of Anna the prophetess in Luke is instructive. She was a widow, probably of limited means, but she had the time to serve the Lord through prayer and fasting.
There are many Bible verses extolling the virtues of serving the Lord through other people. Proverbs 19:17 teaches, “He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, And He will repay him for his good deed.” Jesus says in Matthew 25:40, “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” He also says in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…” We are called to serve others. Once we retire, we have may more time to do so.
That service is not limited to serving others at church or other charities, it includes serving our families. Veith describes to range of service work those of us with time can do. He explains, “The unemployed, the idle rich, and the retired can find ways of serving their neighbors. Those who do not have jobs are still members of a family. Even those without spouses or children generally have parents or siblings, if they are still alive, or at least cousins and other members of an extended family. They have a nation and a citizenship to which they have been called. If they are Christians, they have a church.” [v]
Another thing to keep in mind is that as we age, our capabilities may change. There are no guarantees that we will have good health as we age. God understands that and what He expects us to do may change. One corollary of that fact is that our greatest ability to serve is probably early in our retirement.
NEXT STEPS
In light of all of this, the next few chapters will look at some specific areas of our lives we need to consider when we are retired. One area that we need to examine more closely is that of leisure. God intends for us to rest (and we often need more of it as we age), but is leisure the best way to get that rest? We will explore that in the next chapter. Then, in Chapter 5, we will try to understand the dangers of idleness. In Chapter 6, we’ll pull all this together to try and understand what God’s general and specific purposes are for us in retirement.
[i] John Piper, Rethinking Retirement: Finishing Life for the Glory of Christ. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books). Kindle edition, 28.
[ii] Ben Witherington, III, Work: A Kingdom Perspective on Labor. (Chicago: Eerdmans, 2011). Kindle edition, loc. 100.
[iii] William Lane Craig, “Is It Wrong to Retire?” Talbot School of Theology Faculty Blog, February 2026, https://www.biola.edu/blogs/good-book-blog/2026/is-it-wrong-to-retire.
[iv] Gene Edward Veith, Jr., God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books). Kindle edition, 47-48.
[v] Veith, 58.
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