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CHARACTER LESSON 2: The LEVITES

Updated: Jun 4

Selected Studies in Aging – How Did Characters in the Bible Finish in Life?

Hal Habecker, Finishing Well Ministries


The attached video watching guide below is designed to follow the study. Every Scripture I mention is already included, but please feel free to take your notes as you listen and think about what is being said.”

Hal Habecker


DOWNLOAD THE VIDEO WATCHING GUIDE



Lesson intro

The Levites and Retirement

Retirement is relatively recent. In 1889, Germany's Chancellor Bismark set age 65 as the time to pay benefits to older survivors, and life expectancy was 55 at the time.


In 1935 US signed into law the Social Security Act 3 so "retirement" is less than a century old. The word "retirement" itself means to withdraw 3 retreat 3 a military word 3 now, to withdraw from the workforce (life expectancy then was 61.7 3 today it is 79.1).


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 any more. They may, however, assist their brothers in the tent of meeting, to keep an obligation, but they themselves shall do no work. Thus you shall deal with the Levites concerning their obligations (Numbers 8.23-26).

(See also Numbers 4.23. 30, 35, 39, 43, 47, which use 30 years as the beginning point of Levitical service).


The Role of Retired Levites


So what did the Levites do then at age 50?

All the cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the sons of Israel were forty- eight cities with their pasture lands. These cities each had its surrounding pasture lands; thus it was with all these cities (Joshua 21.41- 42).

Listen closely to the words of Scripture as they describe the work of retired Levites.
If any case is too difficult for you to decide, between one kind of homicide or another, between one kind of lawsuit or another, and between one kind of assault or another, being cases of dispute in your courts, then you shall arise and go up to the place which the Lord your God chooses. So you shall come to the Levitical priest or the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall inquire of them and they will declare to you the verdict in the case (Deuteronomy 17.8-10).

They taught in Judah, having the book of the law of the Lord with them; and they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught among the people (2 Chronicles 17.9).

Why does God allow us to age? Why did He ordain the elder years as a part of life? What are His purposes in our latter years? What are the advantages for each of us in having older and younger people in our lives? What are the advantages of elders/sages in the life of a congregation?









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