What is the right age to start our life’s most important work?
Some people begin to excel in their chosen profession at a very early age (for example, Mozart began composing at four or five years of age), while others shine much later (Oscar Swahn won his first Olympic gold medal at the age of 60).
Even today there are rules about the age at which one can start work, and the same was true for priests and Levites in Israel.
After Israel left the land of Egypt, they counted the men who were 20 years old or older; those who were considered old enough to fight in the army of Israel.
However, the Levites were counted separately, and they were only counted between the ages of 30 and 50 (Numbers 4:46-47). Their work as priests or Levites was to begin when they reached the age of 30 and end when they reached the age of 50.
Jeremiah the prophet was also a priest.
Age limits for Levites
The age range over which Levites could work is specified for the Kohathites (Numbers 4:2-3, 34-35), and priests were descended from Kohath (1 Chronicles 6:1-3; 23:12-13).
The same age range was also specified for Levites descended from Merari (Numbers 4:29-30, 42-43) and Gershon (Numbers 4:38-39).
Interestingly, however, there are also two other ages mentioned.
25 years old (Numbers 8:24)
The application of this age is is not completely clear, but I think it is most likely to mean that Levites started learning their work at 25 and were allowed to work unsupervised at 30.
20 years old (1 Chronicles 23:24, 27)
David said that priests and Levites could begin work earlier because they no longer needed to carry the holy items as they had in the wilderness (1 Chronicles 23:25-26). Once again, I think this is most likely to refer to the age at which Levites began to learn their work. If you like, the age at which they started their apprenticeship. I can’t prove this, but the age of 30 is still mentioned in 1 Chronicles 23:3 as the starting age for counting the Levites, so I think
the apprenticeship idea is the most likely explanation. This would have extended their working life to 30 years.
Application of the limits
These age limits are important in the life of Jeremiah. In the series “Terror on Every Side!”, I have assumed that Jeremiah was 17 years old in the 13th year of Josiah and therefore began to work as a priest at the age of 30 in the 26th year of Josiah. On this basis, he would have reached the age of 50 in the 4th year of Zedekiah and no longer been able to work as a priest.
Based on the little information we have about Hilkiah’s sons, I have assumed that Azariah (the next High Priest) was the oldest son, Gemariah the next and Jeremiah the youngest.
Jeremiah’s older brother Gemariah I have said to be 7 years older than Jeremiah, and so he would have reached the age of 50 in the 8th year of Jehoiakim.
Azariah, according to my assumptions, was Jeremiah’s oldest brother and became the High Priest. I have assumed him to be 10 years older than Jeremiah, but as High Priest he would have continued to serve in that capacity until his death, just as Aaron did.
These age limits would have had a very practical effect on the lives of individual priests, just as set retirement ages do in our own times.
Questions to think about
Sometimes we feel that the Law of Moses specified every possible detail of life, but in reality it is only a brief set of laws. What should happen in many specific situations is not addressed. For example:
- What happened if the oldest son of the High Priest reached the age of 50 before his father died? Ordinary priests were to stop work at 50, while the High Priest worked until he died. Would such a son stop working as a priest until his father died and then take over as High Priest?
- If a High Priest outlived his oldest son, would the High Priesthood skip a generation?
- Priests began work at 30. What happened if a High Priest died when he: (a) Had no sons? (b) Had only disabled son(s)? (c) Had only sons who were under 30?
- How old was John the Baptist’s father Zechariah when he was working as a priest in the temple and saw an angel? He said that he was an ‘old man’ (Luke 1:8-23).
And also…
