What Does the Bible Say About Work and Retirement?

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”

Genesis 3:17

In my early years, I viewed work as a punishment. I felt that it was unfair that I had chores to do. I felt that it was a punishment for being a child, subject to my parents’ whims and commands, rather than the contribution toward the good of the family that it was. 

As I got older, however, my views changed on work.  I began to earn money from my labor, and this changed everything.  I began to see the importance of work in everyday life, as a requirement to earn money and pay for the things that were important to me. 

My first “real job” was as a cashier at a grocery store when I was 14 years old; they paid me based upon the number of hours I worked.  I then began associating the number of hours I worked with greater pay.  Unfortunately, this started me on the road to workaholism.

Through the first 24 years of my working career, I always had the ability to earn bonuses based on performance. I associated working longer and longer hours with earning a higher bonus, even though that linear relationship I thought was there never materialized.  

So, when the bonuses did not meet my expectations, I vowed to work even longer hours the following year. I was soon working 70-80 hours per week or more, sometimes neglecting my relationships with God and others, all to make work, and the product of that work, an idol.

Biblical Perspective of Work

The biblical perspective of work is very different. In the beginning, God created. He worked. He worked not because it was a necessary evil but because He enjoyed the work and said that the product was “good.” 

God created man in His own image and part of that image is the image of a worker. God put Adam and Eve in the garden to work it and keep it, and to subdue the creation He made. This was before the Fall, before they sinned. Many Christians falsely believe that work was a result of the Fall. It was not. Work became harder after the fall (Genesis 3:19: “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust and to dust you shall return.”) but it was not created after the fall.

Work, itself, is a form of stewardship. The proper use of the time and talents we have been given by God is very important to Him. Work is so important to God that He gives the following command:

“You shall work six days but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.  On it you shall not do any work…”

Exodus 20:9-10

We see from this verse that we are commanded to work hard but, as Christians that follow God’s word, we are also commanded to rest one day of the week. This was something I struggled with in my early years of work. 

As I reflect upon it now, I wasn’t trusting in God. God, Himself, rested on the seventh day of His work of creation (Genesis 2:2-3). Wouldn’t God be able to make my six days of work more productive than seven?

Paul, in his letter to the Thessalonians, is just as direct when it comes to work:

“For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”

2 Thessalonians 3:10

This seems harsh but note that he says if anyone is not willing to work, not if anyone is not able to work. There are people that are physically or mentally unable to work and this principle does not apply to them. However, if someone can work, they should do so according to this principle.  

I know someone that has not worked in decades. He was fully capable and young when he was downsized from his job over two decades ago. Instead, he relied on his wife to support their family while he sat at home. Consequently, he is still reliant on her for everything, which has resulted in a strained relationship between them as well as lost respect from his children.

The Fruit of Work

The Bible promises a reward for hard work, especially in the book of Proverbs:

“Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.”

Proverbs 28:19

“In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.”

Proverbs 14:23

“He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.”

Proverbs 10:5

Retirement and Work

Thus, we see that work is important to God and is doing our part to get God’s provision. This begs the question: Since God worked and is always working, and He created us in His image to also be working, is the American dream of working hard for several decades, then retiring to a life of leisure, biblical?

My contemporary, Ben Wacek, has also written some about this (What does the Bible say about retirement?)

The only reference in the Bible to retirement from work  is in Numbers 8:24-26, and it applied specifically to the Levites, the priests working in the tabernacle:

““This applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they[a] shall come to do duty in the service of the tent of meeting. 25 And from the age of fifty years they shall withdraw from the duty of the service and serve no more. 26 They minister[b] 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.”

While people are physically and mentally capable, there is no scriptural basis for retiring and becoming unproductive. We shouldn’t let age stop us from finishing the work God has called us to accomplish. In fact, Moses was 80 years old when he began his 40-year calling of leading the children of Israel!

However, this is not stating that one should continue with the same intensity or even type of work as they get older. In the example of the Levites above, the older Levites were commanded to minister to their brothers by “keeping guard” rather than directly serving. Perhaps slowing down as one ages or even changing careers or starting a new business or non-profit venture is what is right. 

There is a book that I give to any client that is contemplating retiring soon.  It is called “An Uncommon Guide to Retirement” by Jeff Haanen. He talks about the need to find purpose for the next season of life. It is just as important to have something to retire to, not just retire from.  

In the book, he suggests that those contemplating retirement take a small sabbatical, if possible, to hear what God would want them to do in their next phase. Perhaps it is a new venture, or continuing part-time in the current venture, or perhaps it is volunteer work or a ministry.  

Whatever it is, the work we do provides a purpose, and that purpose is still needed even after retiring. This purpose is what gives a person meaning in their life.

My father was a nurse for 35 years and decided to retire at the age of 60 because he was physically tired and could not become technologically proficient with the computers that were becoming the norm in his profession. Unfortunately, he did not have anything to retire to, and he defaulted to watching TV for most of the day. I believe that this is what led to his idiopathic illness at age 67 and his eventual death less than a decade later. Purpose is important in all phases of life, and it is important to understand what God is calling us to do in any stage of life:

“Unless the Lord builds the house, they who build it labor in vain.”

Psalms 127:1

Retirement planning is an area that our advisors are proficient in and can help. Reach out to us today if you feel you need help in planning for that next phase.  We will talk with you not only about the financial aspect of planning, but, as advisors with a Christian worldview,  the spiritual aspect of planning with His purpose in mind.

As we see, work is something we were made to do by God. Although we must work harder than we did prior to The Fall, it is still something that should bring us joy, especially if we align our work with God’s calling for our lives.  Remember what Paul told us in his letter to the Colossians:

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.  You are serving the Lord Christ.”

Colossians 3:23-24