Early Retirement

(Today I read Numbers chapters 5-8 in the Bible from the New Living Translation, why don't you join me?)

Numbers 8:23-26 NLT

The Lord also instructed Moses, “This is the rule the Levites must follow: They must begin serving in the Tabernacle at the age of twenty-five, and they must retire at the age of fifty. After retirement they may assist their fellow Levites by serving as guards at the Tabernacle, but they may not officiate in the service. This is how you must assign duties to the Levites.”

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I'm getting a bit older. I've been saying that for years. But since I'm nearly 50 myself and since I'm a priest, maybe I should be considering retirement.

1 Peter 2:9 NLT

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

But before you get to liking the idea too much let's consider a few other relevant facts.
Moses and Aaron and maybe even Aaron's sons were much older and they were working very hard indeed. In fact at this point Moses is somewhere in the neighbourhood of 85 years old and He had lots of work ahead of him yet and he served in the tabernacle. In fact Moses visits with God in the Holiest place in the Tabernacle and hears his voice.

Numbers 7:89 NLT

Whenever Moses went into the Tabernacle to speak with the Lord , he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—that rests on the Ark of the Covenant. The Lord spoke to him from there.

Further we get no indication that I know of that in any other area of life and ministry we are to retire. Here in Numbers the Levites still have the possibility of guard duty and this job doesn't seen to come with a retirement age.

So why this specific age range for Levites serving in the Tabernacle?

Numbers 8:7 NLT

Do this by sprinkling them with the water of purification, and have them shave their entire body and wash their clothing. Then they will be ceremonially clean.

The whole regime is meant to differentiate between God and the people. The people are sinful, dirty, flawed, blemished, rebellious, and tainted with stench of death. God is pure, holy, perfect, the very source of life and in all ways righteous.

God wanted reliable men. He wanted men in their prime, capable, clear, and without an outward sign of impurity.

And maybe the most important thing is that God wanted to remind his people that he was not to be taken lightly. Not just anyone could fulfill the role.

That is until Jesus, comes and makes all his people in his kingdom a kingdom of priests.

Revelation 1:4-7 NLT

This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia. Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne; and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him— even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for him. Yes! Amen!

So a day is coming when none will be mothballed. There will be no differentiation because we'll all be like Jesus. And old, young, men, women and child alike will be part of the royal priesthood of Jesus.

We are always looking to Jesus and his kingdom. Are you?

Go in, listen to , lie beside, be with

Genesis 38:7-10 ESV

But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord , and the Lord put him to death. Then Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother." But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother's wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother. And what he did was wicked in the sight of the Lord , and he put him to death also.

Genesis 39:5-10 ESV

From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. So he left all that he had in Joseph's charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, "Lie with me." But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.

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I won't pretend to have all the answers when it comes to understanding these chapters in Genesis (38-39).
However there are hints and themes that point us towards God's intent.

May I remind you that proliferation of the human race has been job one since man's creation. And although the blessing of offspring has been particularly promised to Abraham's family that promise has required a lot of faith. And proliferation when it does happen seems to be mired in family conflict, deceit, and immorality.

But the key to gaining clarity in this mottled ancestry is to look for God, and God's promise. Who is trusting God even when it appears to be counter productive in realising the promise. See God comes before even the promise. Hearken back to Abraham and Isaac with the lamb. Our experience of blessing should never need to be at the cost of God's glory. We can be faithful to God without forcing our self interest at the cost of regard for God's word.

To be honest I don't have all the answers about these two chapters. But I know that we are meant to notice the contrast. Two of Judah's sons are killed by God. Joseph is blessed. But it's not quite that simple. Joseph is a slave. Joseph is in Egypt. Joseph has no children.
Judah's sons Er and Onan are wicked and they are not blessed.
Judah, Er, Onan, and Joseph all have to make a choice about sex. Only Joseph's abstinence policy is blessed. But again blessing includes prison, slander, and loss. In Joseph's life the way up is very much down.
The Lord blessed Joseph's regard for God's way. Judah, Er, and Onan did not consider God's plan.

Do you?
Are you willing to be blessed while in prison, slandered for doing right, or sold into slavery because you are relating God's plan revealed to you?

Ultimately this is a story about Jesus. Can you see Jesus? How would Jesus explain his Father's plan to rescue the world through his humiliation and  death in these few chapters of Genesis?