In biblical terms Levi was not a pair of blue jeans. Levi was the third son of Jacob and Leah. Levi and his family became one of the twelve tribes of Israel and certain religious and political functions were reserved for them.
They were a priestly group and assigned to ministering in the sanctuary. They acted as musicians, handled animal sacrifices and assisted in the temple when needed.
They were God's peculiar property in place of the first born. They were cleansed for their office, they had no inheritance in Canaan. They did receive an offering of the people at feast times.
In Numbers 8: 23-25 God speaks to Moses…………….
Levites 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 can volunteer but they can no longer do the work.
This is the only passage in the Bible that refers specifically to retirement.
God created work and our work is God's divine calling but there is a point in our life when we stop doing regular full time work. We are not tied to the Old Testament laws regarding the Levites and their retirement age, but the wisdom of God's message to Moses about the cessation of regular work is still valuable and can be helpful in our lives today. To retire from regular work opens the door to new and different ways to serve God and others.
I am retiring at the end of the year. I am well beyond Levite years. I have been a pastor for 38 + years serving churches in Idaho, Washington, Nevada and Minnesota. In cities, suburbs, small towns and now in the country.
Currently I have no plans for 2017. (I am not even interested in applying for work at Paisley Park) I do hope to remain active, share and give and assist the church in some form or another. East Union has been a blessing to me. To finish here is remarkable. Still I am impelled to ask the question posed by Dr. Seuss: "How did it get so late so soon?
May my Levi retirement be a relaxed fit.
Pastor Tom