I've always said I don't plan to retire, because I can't find retirement in Scripture, but I am wrong! The High Priests "retired" after 25 years, with what would equate to a "pension," provision. Although they were still "on duty" to train the younger ones, their duties definitely changed and were reduced. From a purely physical perspective, I know animal processing becomes more difficult as I age. I'm not making sacrifices and I'm not laying claim to High Priest duties, I'm just talking about the physical labor of processing livestock.
As it turns out, I did find a retirement of sorts, for women, and it's generalized for us. Most agree that motherhood is calling, a career, the most important job a woman can have. The book of Titus refers to the older women training the younger ones, but just as in the case of the High Priest, the duties change. I've heard it said, many times that grandmas aren't fit to raise kids, because we're indulgent; and we are. The truth of the matter is, once a woman is physically past child bearing age, primary child care is and should be in retirement. We are to offer assistance to the younger generation, and of course spend quality time with the little ones.
In times past it was only in rare cases of death or illness that child raising was left in the hands of grandmas or the older women, but our society has virtually changed that. There are a number of good "G-d-fearing grandmas" that are raising the grandchildren. Many women who run day care centers are well past the years of child-bearing. Paul included in one of his letters that the older women were to be cared for . . .
Having come to YHWH when my youngest child was in their last year of High School, I didn't raise my kids with the values I have now, and I wish I had. I was working through their childhood and now I realize the benefit of what I could have offered them, had I known. I believe this is the opportunity for many of us women to turn the ERA back on it's ear and if we can't reverse the trend, we can arrest it! We "jounreyman mothers" can teach the grandchildren what we wished we'd have taught their parents, but we have to make sure we don't over ride the Fifth Commandment in doing that!
So, I stand corrected regarding Scriptural retirement. High Priests and mamas do retire, but we don't stop helping the younger ones until our numbered day is accomplished. I firmly believe, if we do this according to Torah, we will provided a "pension."
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