Investigating the Bible: Age is not a barrier

By DAVID CARLSON PASTOR

Economist and prolific author Thomas Sowell is ninety-five, so he is qualified for opinions about old age: “Some people age like fine wine and others just turn into vinegar.” An elderly champion of the Bible demonstrated how to keep living productively.

With God’s help, find new good work. Moses was born in Egypt and, through God’s protection, he was rescued from the Nile River as an infant and raised as the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter. Pharaoh oppressed the Hebrews, using them as slave labor. When Moses was 40, he saw an Egyptian beating a Jew. When he thought no one was looking, Moses killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. His murder was discovered. He fled more than 200 miles southeast to the land of Midian, where he established life as a shepherd, took a wife and had children. Forty years passed and, at age 80, God gave him a new job: “Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:10, English Standard Version used throughout).

According to Fritz Gilbert, in his book “Keys to A Successful Retirement,” retirement is the “…time to ‘re-tire’ your chosen vehicle with new tires best suited for the road ahead.” He offered his wife’s experience as an example. She had been her mother’s caretaker. When her mother died, that work ended. She happened to see online a story about a nonprofit in Oregon called Fences for Fido. They build free fences for low-income families who keep their dogs chained up outside. With the group’s help, she formed her own nonprofit in Georgia and, in three months, built her first fence for a family’s dog. As Gilbert wrote, “… my wife has a purpose, and she’s never been more energized. She’s found her new tires. She’s making a difference. She’s having a ball.”

Fears and failures in new work are OK. God appeared to Moses when he was out watching the sheep of his father-in-law. God gave Moses the task of leading the Israelites out of slavery from Egypt and into their promised land. This all sounded great to Moses, but he had his fears. “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’” (Exodus 4:1). God gave Moses a convincing response. Moses had a staff in his hand. God said, “… ‘Throw it on the ground.’ So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it.” (Exodus 4:3). Humble Moses, who is the author of Exodus, honestly records running away in fear. Then God commanded Moses to pick up the serpent by the tail. Anyone who has caught a snake knows the tail is the worst place to grab it. It will whip around and attack. Clutch a snake right behind the head. But Moses regained his composure and trust. He came back, grabbed the tail of the snake, and it miraculously became his staff. Moses ultimately accepted his assignment in old age and, by God’s many miracles, succeeded in leading the tribes of Israel to the edge of their promised land.

Michelangelo, at age 71, was the architect, engineer and project manager for St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. He continued until his death at age 89. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, given in 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, is one of the great American speeches. In it he said: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” However, his oratorical skill was not always recognized. When he was a student at Crozer Theological Seminary, Dr. King received a “C” in public speaking.

David Carlson Pastor (yes, that is his last name, not his profession) lives in Oregon and is a graduate of Bethel Theological Seminary in Minnesota (M.Div., M.Th.).