Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we look forward to being old is when we are kids? George Carlin, a famous comedian, made that observation in one of his monologues. Here is a short version of it:
Views on Aging by George Carlin
“Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we’re kids?
If you’re less than 10 years old, you’re so excited about aging that you think in fractions. “How old are you? I’m four and a half!” You’re never thirty-six and a half. You’re four and a half, going on five! That’s the key.
You get into your teens. Now they can’t hold you back.
You jump to the next number or even a few ahead. “How old are you?” “I’m gonna be 16!” You could be 13, but hey, you’re gonna be 16!
And then the greatest day of your life… You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. Yeas!!!
But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk. “He TURNED, we had to throw him out.” There’s no fun now, you’re just a sour dumpling. What’s wrong? What’s changed?
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, and then you’re PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it’s all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50…and your dreams are gone. But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn’t think you would!
So, you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60. You’ve built up so much speed that you HIT 70.
After that, it’s a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday! Once you get into your 80s, every day is a complete cycle: you HIT lunch, TURN and it’s 4:30, and you REACH bedtime.”
There are two extremes in dealing with old age. Some senior citizens simply give up and slide slowly towards death. Others respond by spending their children’s inheritance. But neither of these two extremes is a proper response to old age. The Bible, especially the Book of Proverbs, has a high view of the aged and their place in society.
My purpose today is to examine the life of one man. He was a leader, a spy, a warrior and a man of God, and an example of successful aging. There are lessons we can learn from the life of Caleb.
We first meet Caleb when he is 40 years old. He’s “pushing” 40. It’s a time of midlife crisis that many men experience. There’s a search for an undefined dream or goal. There’s a deep sense of remorse for goals not accomplished. There’s fear of humiliation among more successful colleagues, a reason for not going to high school reunions. There’s a desire to achieve a feeling of youthfulness, sports cars, crazy haircuts. And they need to spend more time alone or with certain peers. Women also experience a midlife crisis but with different symptoms.
But Caleb was a successful man, a tribal leader, and he was chosen to be a spy, and to report back to Moses information about the people and the condition of the land they were about to enter. He could have succumbed to personal conditions of midlife crisis, but he did not.
Lesson #1: Midlife is a time of leadership and confidence. Caleb was the truthful spy. He withstood peer pressure. Along with Joshua, he contradicted the majority. Notice Caleb’s comment:
Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it” (Numbers 13:30).Quite a different response than what the other 10 spies had said: “But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we” (Numbers 13.31). The mob responds to the false report was fear. They were seething with emotion, a most dangerous situation. But Caleb quieted the people. He defused the emotions, and silenced the mob.
People responded to Caleb’s authority. Caleb was a confident experienced leader. He had no doubts about God’s will for Israel. He was convinced of God’s promise for inheriting the promised land. He used his leadership to calm a potentially dangerous situation and had a stabilizing influence on the Israelites.
Lesson #2: Middle age is a time of contentment. So, what happened to Caleb after 40? The Israelites still rebelled, but Joshua and Caleb’s future was assured. They would enter the promised land. That was their reward for their faithfulness. They would inherit the land. But the question we have here is when are they going to inherit that land? After 45 years.
Caleb was already 40 years old when he had to wait another forty-five, before he could inherit his portion of the promised land. While in his forties Caleb was in his prime. He proved his faith in God’s word. He was a leader of his tribe. He certainly was on the way up. What anticipation he must have had. But then what happened? Nothing.
Nothing happened. He was on the sidelines. He was not immune from trials and tribulations as Israel wandered for 40 years in the desert wilderness. But he didn’t sip Mint Juleps and munch on imported Egyptian leaks. He knew he was to enter the promised land. He had God’s word. Yet he disappears from biblical accounts for 40 years.
God did not use him for any public work for 45 years. These are the middle miles, the middle age. The middle miles of a race are the hardest. It’s a grind for those of you who do run. It is neither the start nor it is neither the finish. It can be a time when nothing appears to be happening. It could easily become a time of discouragement. A lot of hard work, but no apparent gain. So, lesson #2 is connected to lesson #1 – leadership and confidence.
He was on the right path, and he kept going. Caleb remembered his accomplishments and he focused on future goals. He had to be content. However, content here doesn’t mean to be resigned, to just hang around, waiting for things to happen, resigned to circumstances. Thayer’s Greek definition for “content” states, it is to be possessed of unfailing strength. To be strong, to suffice, to be enough, to defend, to ward off.
Lesson #3: Middle age is a time of acceptance. Joshua was chosen as the new leader of the Israelites. Caleb’s rise up the hierarchy falls short. Realistic chances of becoming Israel’s leader for Caleb were slim to none. Caleb was 80 years old. There’s no indication that Caleb resented Joshua’s selection or leadership. Lesson #3 is connected to lesson #2 – contentment.
Caleb accepted his place in relationship to Joshua. This was his role in life. Not every boy grows up to be president of the United States. Not every Israelite grew up to be the King of Israel. And not every faithful Saint will be a leader of the church. Paul tells us God sets members in the body as he pleases.
Lesson #4: Old age can bring the greatest rewards from the greatest challenges. The next time we read of Caleb in the Bible, he’s 85 years old. At 85, we see that Caleb becomes a warrior. Caleb sought the hardest work, not the easiest. When the land was partitioned, Caleb chose the mountainous region, not the plains. It is this region that provided the grapes and figs that were brought back from the promised land. The region was most bountiful, and it provided the best.
Caleb, at 85, did what younger men couldn’t do. The land was divided among the tribes, and they had to drive out the inhabitants. And Caleb is the only one who drove out all the inhabitants in his allotment. Every other leader failed to do that. Caleb, at 85, got the job done.
Lesson #5: There is no age of retirement. Billy Crystal, another comedian turned 65 in 2013. And here’s a quote from Billy:
“I once asked George Burns, ‘George, will you ever retire?’ And he said, ‘To what?’ ‘That’s the attitude I want,’ Billy said.( At this age he was three months shy of 65.) ‘Man, I’m so happy to be working!’”
Caleb could have sat back and let others do the work, but he was ready, willing and able, to do the hardest work. He was old, but not ready for retirement. At 85, Caleb was still a leader and a warrior. But we ask ourselves, how did Caleb do it? Caleb’s accomplished more as an 85-year-old than a 40-year-old. What was Caleb’s secret? Actually, it’s not a secret. We can do the same:
Numbers 14:24 But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully (God is speaking), I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.
Caleb had a different spirit than the other spies. And frankly, from a lot of the other Israelites. He’s not like those who gave a false report. He was one that was willing to follow God. So much so, that God says, “Caleb, followed me fully,”. How did Caleb do it? By knowing God’s plan for the Israelites and applying himself to that goal, regardless of the circumstances.
What about us? Is it any different for you and me? Those who know God’s plan for humanity can certainly follow God. It is a choice. And many of the followers of Christ are 65 and over. They have fought the good fight. But it’s not over. The older members are a great resource for the rest of us. True, they are unlikely to achieve any military victory. But they offer much to all of us. They are full of wisdom as exemplified throughout the book of Proverbs:
“Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding; She (wisdom) is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, In her left hand riches and honor” (Proverbs 3:13-16).
In the Bible, old age is considered to be positive and competent fulfillment of the life devoted to God. However, the blessings and responsibility of aging are to be accepted with gratitude and with a sense of stewardship towards those who are younger. Our bodies will grow old, our bodies will wear out. But none of us has to be old in spirit or desire.
Note what Paul said to Timothy: “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:6). Paul lived a rigorous life to the end. His faithfulness was his crowning accomplishment.
George Carlin ended that short monologue this way:
“And it doesn’t end there. Into the 90s, you start going backward; ‘I was JUST 92.’ Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. ‘I’m 100 and a half!’ May we all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!”
However no matter the age, God’s purpose for His people is that we all should fulfill the same goal as Paul: fight the good fight, keep the faith.
John Grabara