This chapter details the allotted lands for the remaining tribes of Israel, and for Joshua as well.
“When they had finished distributing the several territories of the land as inheritances, the people of Israel gave an inheritance among them to Joshua the son of Nun. By command of the Lord they gave him the city that he asked, Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. And he rebuilt the city and settled in it. So they finished dividing the land.” (v49-50,51b)
Can you imagine how satisfying it must be to complete your life’s work? That’s pretty much what this scenario is for Joshua. Basically, he has spent his entire adult life serving God and Israel, and now he receives a city in which he can “retire” for his remaining days. Though in scripture, “retirement” isn’t necessarily the same idea as it is in our culture today – retirement isn’t some idealistic eternal vacation full of fun, freedom and frivolity (though there is some of that).
In the Bible, our “work” may change when we retire, though our service to God never ends. Here is the only passage I could find that indicates any form of retirement: “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘This applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall come to do duty in the service of the tent of meeting. And from the age of fifty years they shall withdraw from the duty of the service and serve no more. They minister to their brothers in the tent of meeting by keeping guard, but they shall do no service. Thus shall you do to the Levites in assigning their duties.’ ” (Num 8:23-26)
Since we (the church) are modern day Levites (God’s servants) this concept would apply to us (though I’m guessing retiring at 50 might be a stretch for some of us). That being said, even once we reach an age of “serving no more” in our regular work, we are to continue “ministering and keeping guard without serving”. What does that mean?
Well, in this context, “serving” or “working” means the same thing as Adam tending the Garden of Eden – a daily physical labor or routine work. So we cease our “heavy labor” and slow down a little bit.
That being said, we are to continue our involvement in the church – guarding and ministering to those within. We are to continue investing in the next generation(s): edifying, teaching, mentoring, praying with/for people, etc. Personally, I think this form of service is more critical than the regular daily work. Though work is helpful, we cannot ask for better guidance than hearing the experiences of those who have walked through life’s trials with God. We also cannot ask for better protection than knowing that our elders are praying for us and God is watching over us.
One interesting thing I noted in the passage is the lack of tentative language – meaning, the ongoing service to God and his people after retirement is not optional, it is a requirement. It doesn’t say “you may minister and guard if you wish”. The scriptures states it like an expectation, not an option.
My challenge for today is to continue investing in our spiritual development, reading scripture, praying (both alone and with others), and preparing ourselves for the future calling of full-time ministry. If that doesn’t sound appealing to those who are introverts, don’t worry, God has a way of shaping and preparing us and the ministry into which He will send us – He has it all figured out.
Father God, our Righteous and Glorious King, we humbly ask for Your hand of guidance upon us. May You continue to teach us and help us grow in Your ways, according to Your purpose for our lives. We do not know our future, so please help us to fully submit to Your will and Your guidance in order to prepare us for that unknown future. We trust that You have a plan to work through us for Your glory and Your Kingdom’s construction. All honor, praise and glory be to You, O Lord God almighty, forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training