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The Importance of Rest and Sabbath In The Bible

Explore the importance of rest and Sabbath in the Bible. Learn its benefits for your mind, body, & spirit, and discover how to make it a meaningful practice.

How much do you want to just stop what you are doing, put aside your responsibilities and schedules to just rest for a while?

If you are like me and so many others, you have a to-do list a mile long, another list of things you should be doing that have not even made it onto your to-do list, as well as duties and ministries and obligations that are pulling you in a million directions.

Your life is relentless and while you long for rest, how can you manage it? You are too busy, too many people rely on you, there just isn’t time to rest — but if you could, it would be heavenly, wouldn’t it?

That is just the thing you need to realize: rest is heavenly, in more ways than one! Not only is stopping to rest heavenly in the sense that it feels so good to stop working for awhile, to relax and allow yourself to recover your strength; it also is heavenly in that it is a practice established by God and one of God’s commandments, and rest was routinely observed by Jesus, who took time to rest and sleep when he was tired.

The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word, which means cease or desist; it is a day set aside for stopping to rest, as commanded by God. The Bible says,

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God…”

Exodus 20:8–10

God’s desire is for you to cease from your work and dedicate a day out of the week for rest and renewal, committing the day to the Lord.

If the idea of rest sounds heavenly to you, and you want to learn more about the biblical principles of rest, uncover its surprising benefits for your mind, body, and spirit, and discover how to make it a meaningful practice, then read on!

This article will explore the biblical foundations of Sabbath, its significance in the lives of believers, and practical ways to incorporate it into our modern lives.

Understanding Sabbath in the Bible

A woman reading a Bible with atext overlay that reads as The Importance of Rest and Sabbath In The Bible.

What is Sabbath?

According to the entry on Sabbath at Bible Study Tools, the origin of the Hebrew word for Sabbath “seems to have derived from the verb sabat, meaning to stop, to cease, or to keep. Its theological meaning is rooted in God’s rest following the six days of creation.”

The first reference to Sabbath rest in the Bible is found in Genesis 2:2–3:

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Genesis 2:2–3

God did not have to rest on the seventh day because He was tired; rather, He was looking over all that He had created previously, finding it very good and satisfactory.

By taking time to stop after completing His work, He was savoring and delighting in what He had done. He then went on to bless that day of rest and make it holy, as a reminder to Adam and Eve and all mankind to do the same.

Exodus 20:8-11 is also a key passage that talks about Sabbath as one of the Ten Commandments:

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Exodus 20:8-11

Bible Study Tools writes that this passage makes a clear connection “between the Sabbath day and the seventh day on which God the Creator rested. Sabbath observance therefore involves the affirmation that God is Creator and Sustainer of the world… If the Creator stopped his creative activity on the seventh day, then those who share in his creative work must do the same… In ceasing from labor one is reminded of one’s true status as a dependent being, of the God who cares for and sustains all his creatures, and of the world as a reality belonging ultimately to God.”

The Biblical Sabbath is meant to be different from the other days of the week. It is set apart and dedicated to the Lord. Instead of concentrating on work and the daily routine, this day is meant to be spent focused on God in worship and personal communion.

Sabbath Throughout the Old Testament

As it has already been mentioned, the concept of Sabbath first appeared in the Bible in Genesis 1:3, where it says that God rested, and made that day of rest holy. Though not referred to as the Sabbath, it is also later strongly implied in God’s instructions to the people of Israel when they were in the wilderness and receiving manna as food every day (Exodus 16:4-5):

Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.

Exodus 16:4-5

When the manna was first sent, Moses clearly taught the people about when to gather the manna and how much to gather. The amount for a single day would not last into the next day, so they were supposed to gather it daily.

However, on the sixth day of the week, the people were told to gather twice as much as on other days, with the promise that it would not spoil. An extra amount was given on the day before the Sabbath so that they could rest and cease from working. In this way, God was showing them that He would provide if they were willing to trust Him and rest. 

Later on in Exodus, when God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses and the people of Israel, He established the practice of observing the Sabbath as an actual command (Exodus 20:8-11).

The Israelites were commanded to do no work on that day, which also included their children, their slaves and any foreigners living among them, and even their animals. God wanted them to take this day of rest and worship very seriously.

The Sabbath is also symbolic of God’s covenant with His people. God actually states this in Exodus 31:13:

Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.

Exodus 31:13

God is promising that by keeping the Sabbath, His people will also be set apart as holy. Those who keep the Sabbath as a religious observance are distinguishable as God’s people, providing evidence of an active relationship with God.

This is not just for the Jews, but for the foreigner and all mankind as well, perpetually. Therefore, all who keep the Sabbath are blessed.

In an article about the Sabbath, Adam Gustine states:

“The Scriptures also frame Sabbath as a straightforward response to God’s liberation of the people from slavery in Egypt (Deut. 5). Against the backdrop of generations of economic exploitation, where God’s people were counted as units of production building the storehouses of Pharoah’s wealth, Sabbath is equally God’s invitation to experience freedom and restoration from the effects of immoral extraction and unjust exploitation.”

Adam Gustine

Besides establishing a day of rest on the seventh day of the week, God also established a year of rest known as the Sabbath Year. This is explained in Leviticus 25, where God says:

When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the LORD. For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest.

Leviticus 25:2-5

A year of Jubilee was also established, which was equal to seven sabbath years time seven — in that fiftieth year, God required that the year be consecrated, proclaiming liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants (Leviticus 25:10).

The Sabbath Year and the Year of Jubilee are examples of protections built into the law to protect the poor, ensuring that they did not stay in slavery. 

It is significant to realize that when God’s people in the Old Testament did not keep the Sabbath holy and did not act justly towards the vulnerable, God withdrew His protection and blessing from them until they returned to Him.

Sabbath in the New Testament

Bill Gaultiere shares some insight into how Jesus practiced the Sabbath in an article about Jesus and the Sabbath:

‘He went to the synagogue and rested, sometimes alone or with a few friends. The Gospel accounts show him taking walks through grain fields or by the lake and having conversations with those he encounters along the way.

We often see Jesus respond to the needs of the people around him on his Sabbath days, which included healing people, delivering them of demons, and teaching. In other words, he did a lot of “work” on the Sabbath day. He didn’t follow the rules set by the religious leaders of his day.’

Because of this, the religious leaders accused him of breaking the Sabbath. Those rules he was breaking were rules made by man, however; rules that were added on to God’s original command to keep the Sabbath holy.

Perhaps their original intention was good, as they did not want anyone to break God’s law inadvertently by doing something that could be considered work. But their interpretations tended to emphasize external obedience to the Law rather than an attitude of submission before God, and their strict obedience became a source of pride instead of an expression of love for God.

Jesus opposed that kind of adherence. Throughout his ministry, Jesus kept reminding the people that God’s original intention for the Sabbath was one of spiritual rest that helped the people to be unified with God, with creation, and with each other. As the author of the article goes on to write,

“Jesus stayed in tune with the Father’s love and never over-worked or acted on his own initiative without being led by and dependent upon his Father… Sabbath-keeping wasn’t a defensive posture for Jesus to recover from being worn out or frustrated. Instead, it was his starting point: Jesus ministered from a Holy Spirit infused state of being relaxed, rested, and renewed. From this state of peace and power, Jesus cared for people in need or pain, demonstrating time and again that the Sabbath is a day for healing and renewal — physically, emotionally, and spiritually.”

One key scripture passage where Jesus speaks on the purpose of the Sabbath is Mark 2:24-28, where he says to the Pharisees, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” God’s purpose in giving the Law was to encourage His people to love Him and to love others, which could include doing good on the Sabbath.

The Pharisees seemed to feel that God had created people so they could obey His rules and keep the Sabbath, but Jesus makes it very clear that God has given the Sabbath as a gift to His people.

Jesus never hesitated to practice what He preached about the Sabbath: He honored God in all His actions, He rested when He needed to, even being willing to lay down to sleep in the midst of a storm because He knew God was in control of all, and He never hesitated to do good for others, no matter what day it was.

For Christians in the early church, the Sabbath was kept as a day of worship and fellowship, no doubt very much like how they gathered together daily as described in Acts 2:42-47:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Acts 2:42-47

Many of those who were part of the early church came to Christianity from Judaism, so it was natural for them to continue meeting together in synagogues or in similar gatherings, following established practices.

The early church fathers may not refer to the Sabbath specifically in their writings, but they did observe a weekly day of worship, and believed that it was the duty of believers to gather and worship on the Lord’s Day.

At some point, the early Christians began to gather and worship on Sundays as a way of commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which according to the Gospel accounts, occurred on the first day of the week, Sunday.

It seems likely that early Jewish Christians attended Jewish worship services and then met by themselves for Christian worship, on a different day to distinguish it from the Jewish gatherings. Christians were eventually removed from the synagogues and not allowed to worship there, so then only the Sunday meetings remained. 

Whether early Christians practiced Sabbath on Saturday or Sunday, the day itself was not really the focus — the focus was to gather as believers to worship, celebrate Christ’s resurrection, receive spiritual nourishment, and strengthen their bonds as a community.

The Importance of Rest and Sabbath for Spiritual Well-being

When God rested on the seventh day, He was not actually resting; instead, He ceased working because He was completely finished with His creative work. Knowing it was very well done, He blessed the day and made it holy.

Rest as a Divine Gift

In a way, it could be said that on the seventh day, God created rest, because He knew that it was the most important thing to establish from the beginning — that mankind needs regular rest after work, and God wanted to model that.

Lewis Cox, in an article about God resting on the seventh day, explains it so well:

“It was that on the sixth day God created humanity. In other words, it was as if God created humanity, and the very first thing that humanity saw God do, the VERY NEXT day was rest. In my sanctified imagination, I like to imagine that God knew from the get-go the lesson that we would be most likely to forget. Think about that for a second. The creator of the universe, parent to the original creation, the VERY first thing that God teaches us how to do nothing, and we still managed to forget.”

Lewis Cox

Psalm 46:10 says to “Be still, and know that I am God.” A Sabbath rest day is a perfect time for stillness and reflection. Taking time away from work to rest, reconnect and point your heart back to your Creator is vital to your well-being.

This was the original purpose of the Sabbath, to give you rest and to enjoy His presence. In remembering the Lord and honoring Him, you will have communion with Him, and what better way is there to recharge spiritually?

Sabbath as a Reminder of God’s Sovereignty

The Sabbath is a reminder that God is sovereign and the creator and sustainer of everything. That includes all the work you think you have to do and can’t stop doing because it all depends on you!

God has invited you to partner with Him in the work you do, but He doesn’t need you in order to get it done and He doesn’t need you to do everything! It is much more important to Him that you trust Him with everything, the doing and the not doing.

Paul Coulter, in his article on the Sabbath being God’s good gift talks about how it is an act of faith to take off 24 hours every week — faith in God who is able to provide. You can trust that God will sustain you and provide for you even when you aren’t working and remember “that what matters most is not what we do (even what we do for God), but what He does (including what He does for us).” 

The Sabbath is an opportunity to spend a day living as if God’s promises have already been fulfilled and to rest in His faithfulness. You need to be willing to trust God enough to take a day off.

Sabbath and Spiritual Disciplines

A day of Sabbath rest, besides including rest and sleep if you need it, is a great complement to spiritual practices such as prayer, Bible study, and worship (both worship in solitude and gathered together with other believers). 

Your chosen Sabbath day is essentially your best time to be intimate with God and to prioritize reflection and spiritual growth. Spending the day devoted to hearing from God and sharing the day with Him will prepare you both spiritually and physically for the week to come!

Sabbath and Mental Health

Taking a break from work has great benefits for reducing stress, anxiety, and burnout. Even a short break, like an afternoon off, can help, but longer breaks are also helpful.

First of all, taking a break to rest gets you out of the stressful environment which allows you to actually benefit from your break. A break will also interrupt the cycle of work that is contributing to your stress.

Chronic stress leads to decreased creativity and memory problems, but if you are taking a day to renew yourself, you will break the stress cycle, resulting in sharper thinking and increased creativity in all areas of your life.

Taking time to rest and connect with God can give you increased energy, which allows you to do more of the things you enjoy as well as more energy to help people and do the work that is important to you.

Spending extended time in prayer can contribute to emotional well-being by reducing feelings of anxiety, isolation, and fear while increasing feelings of gratitude and connection.

The Importance of Rest and Sabbath for Physical and Emotional Health

Jesus provides a good example of someone who rested when He needed to, and benefited both spiritually and physically. He did not deny Himself self-care or spiritual nourishment. He frequently sought solitude to pray, to commune with God, and His spirit was revived.

Rest and the Body’s Rhythm

He also made sure the disciples understood the importance of rest, often inviting them to come away with him to a quiet place, for rest and recovery of strength in the midst of their work.

Taking time to rest is obviously good for you physically. Your body requires rest to repair itself and recover from daily wear and tear.

Rest improves your immune system and also reduces stress, which is good for your physical health as well as your mental health.

Sabbath and Stress Reduction

Stress is a normal part of life and a natural response to any situation that seems more than you feel you can deal with.

Chronic stress, however, involves the long-term activation of the stress response system and the overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones which can disrupt your body’s processes, putting you at increased risk for a variety of physical and mental health problems.

Some of these problems include anxiety, depression, digestive issues, headaches, muscle tension and pain, heart disease, heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke, sleep problems, weight gain, and problems with memory and concentration — to name a few!

Chronic stress may also cause disease, often as a result of overeating or other bad habits you might pick up to cope with your stress.

Today’s culture does not value rest or time for prayer. Time is money, and if time is not used to make more money, it is considered wasted. But Christian living demands that you act in a way that is counter to the culture. Romans 12:2 is clear on this:

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2

Instead of getting worn out dealing with stress day in and day out until your health is damaged by it, use a weekly Sabbath to let go, to put aside the stress, to stop trying to control people and situations.

Focus instead on what God is doing and rest in Him. Follow the example of the Psalmist in Psalm 62:1:

“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.”

Psalm 62:1

Putting God at the center instead of yourself is the best way to slow down and rest, to relieve stress, and to get the emphasis back on the right things.

Sabbath and Relationships

Taking a day for Sabbath is more than just carving out time in solitude and silence with God, however; there should also be an aspect of community connection and family time.

Coming together as a community of believers to share the highs and lows of the week with each other as well as to worship together, is encouraged by the author of Hebrews:

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:24-25

Rest in solitude is helpful and there should be a time for quiet prayer and communion with God alone during your Sabbath day, but time with family playing and interacting together can be restful in a different way

Remember that if you are tired and stressed out, so is your family! Part of Sabbath rest as a family could be doing things together that you each find restful and fun, in addition to worshiping together.

Shared meals, walks out in nature, or playing games together can be a restful activity that will make a family Sabbath day a time of togetherness that strengthens each of you for the coming week.

Practical Tips for Observing Sabbath in the Modern World

To help you get the most out of your observance of the Sabbath, here are a few tips of what to focus on:

  • Connect purpose to it, by making prayer and the study of God’s word a focus.
  • Make it a priority by planning ahead of time, so you know when it will be, what activities you will include, and how you will divide up the day between solitude, rest, and time with family and friends.
  • Set aside time for worship and rest by attending church, reading the Bible, praying, or going for a long walk.
  • Choose God-honoring, soul-refreshing activities by asking yourself, “Is this restful?” Be sure to choose activities that help you connect with God, and be intentional about putting aside work and taking a break from things you normally do during the week.

Identifying Your Sabbath Day

Sunday is the most common day because it involves time already set aside for corporate worship, but this isn’t meant to be legalistic.

Maybe you serve at church on Sundays in a capacity that makes it too busy of a day, or you have family obligations, or your workplace needs you to work on Sundays.

Pick the day that works best for you to intentionally rest and which allows you to focus on your relationship with God and be renewed.

While being able to spend an entire day practicing Sabbath rest is ideal, perhaps you don’t have a whole day at your disposal.

Maybe you only have 30 minutes on your lunch break, or an hour or two on Saturday morning or the window of time when your kids are at school. Maybe you only have a half-day block of time that alternates between different days from week to week.

Be creative in how you think about your hours, days, and weeks, and choose a time that sustains you and that you can sustain.

Creating Sabbath Rituals

The key to choosing activities that promote rest, reflection and connection is to make sure it is something that you (and your family) find restful. Sometimes just asking yourself whether something is restful or not will help you decide if it is something you want to include in your Sabbath day of rest. Here are some suggestions of things to consider making part of your Sabbath ritual:

  • sleep in or take a nap
  • read (the Bible, devotional books, fiction/nonfiction are all good options)
  • pray
  • worship (including singing, playing or listening to music)
  • spend time with family
  • spend time at church
  • reflect (including meditation and journaling)
  • spend some time alone
  • do something you like to do that you normally don’t have time to do
  • go for a walk or a hike or take a scenic drive
  • do a puzzle or play a game

Protecting Your Sabbath Time

It is really helpful to set some boundaries of things you won’t do during your Sabbath time. It helps to plan ahead so that you take care of a few things the day before your Sabbath, including grocery shopping, cleaning the house, or running various errands — anything you have decided not to do on your Sabbath day.

Turn off your electronic devices and take a break from the internet or social media — spend as much time as possible in a low-tech or no-tech environment. If this is not possible for some reason, then at least try to turn off notifications from your phone so that you can rest from being constantly available.

Say no to activities that detract from rest or that cause worry. Putting aside anything related to your regular work day is a good idea. It is also helpful to avoid shopping, meetings, basically anything that makes you feel hurried or anxious or too busy.

If you can avoid cooking, that is also helpful — to make your Sabbath day lighter and less busy, cook your meal ahead, use a freezer meal, or put food in the crock pot the night before.

Making Sabbath a Family Affair

If you have children, it is important to involve them in your Sabbath so that they also take part in the rest and joy of devoting time to God; it will create a tradition of Sabbath rest that will establish them well for the future.

Rest may not sound all that inviting to children but having fun together can be restful! Plan things you can do together that point them to God and worship, like playing music together and singing hymns or praise songs, reading Bible stories, or writing a letter to a missionary.

Look through old family photos and share stories from the past with your kids. Paint or draw together or play a board game or work on Legos together. Watch Christian movies or TV shows together that everyone will enjoy.

Whatever you decide to do as a family, let your children help you plan some of the fun things you will do together in advance so that they are looking forward to the day.

Embracing Flexibility

One of the most important things to remember when establishing a habit of Sabbath is to embrace flexibility. Your Sabbath day will look different than someone else’s day, and maybe your day may not be on the same day every week or it may not be for the same length of time every time.

Sometimes things will happen to interrupt your rest but being flexible will help you not to beat yourself up if you have to change something or put off what you had planned for another time if it is truly necessary.

It might be easier to establish a Sabbath schedule if you are the only one involved, but if you are bringing your family into the practice, you will need flexibility to make it work for each individual need and circumstance.

Don’t worry about not being able to do Sabbath perfectly — the key is to do it, to accept it as God’s gift to you for rest.  As Jesus says,

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28

Even if you have to be flexible about what you do and don’t include in your Sabbath or what day you will practice it, you can still be intentional about disconnecting from all the work that keeps you busy and stressed out, to connect with God and find in Him.

FAQs About Rest and Sabbath in the Bible

If you don’t want to get into a discussion on the Biblical basis for Sabbath rest with your non-Christian friends and family, you can explain to them about the need for rest and time away from work to recover.

It is also a great way to share your faith with them if you are practicing Sabbath as a time of prayer and communion with God and they can see how such a practice benefits your health and your stress levels. You can still practice many aspects of a Sabbath day together as a family even if other family members are not believers.

As mentioned above, it is not a requirement that your Sabbath be on a specific day, such as on the weekend. If you are wanting to establish a habit of observing Sabbath rest in your life, you should choose a day that is meaningful and helpful to you — that might be one of the weekend days, but if you have to work, then it is not ideal for you.

My ministry activities keep me very busy on weekends, so I choose to take my Sabbath rest day on Mondays instead of Saturday or Sunday.

While a full day off is optimal for a truly restful day, it is possible to rest and participate in Sabbath activities for half a day, or over the course of several evenings. It is something you will need to figure out as you pray and seek the Lord’s guidance on how to best seek the rest you need.

The point of taking a Sabbath is not to be legalistic about it, but to find ways to rest and focus on God to the best of your ability.

Taking time away from work and stress to rest and spend time in the presence of God — which is what Sabbath is — is more relevant than ever in today’s world! The more this current culture focuses on work and success and making money, the more there is a need to disengage from that push, for the sake of your spiritual, mental, and physical health.

It is not a requirement to have Saturday as your day of Sabbath rest. Saturday is traditionally the day set aside for Jews to observe the Sabbath, while most Christians observe a Sabbath day on Sunday.  If you want to establish a habit of observing Sabbath rest in your life, you should choose a day that is meaningful and helpful to you.

For example, I am involved in ministry which keeps me very busy with many activities on Sundays, so I choose to take my Sabbath rest day on Mondays instead of Saturday or Sunday.

The Sabbath is a day or a time that is set apart to be different from the other days or times of the week. Instead of concentrating on work and the daily routine, this day is meant to be spent focused on God in worship and personal communion, as well as rest and recovery from the labor of previous days. Established by God on the seventh day after creation, Sabbath has been a day honored in Old Testament times, by Jesus himself, and by the early church.

The Sabbath is God’s gift to you for rest, as well as an opportunity to come away to worship Him as Creator, to prioritize spiritual growth and reflection, and to reap the mental and physical benefits that come from resting, such as reduced stress, better physical health, and strengthened bonds with others.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with Sabbath practices and find what works for you. Remember that Sabbath is a gift from God for your well-being and spiritual growth, and He will guide you as you seek wisdom from Him for what your Sabbath should look like.

He wants to give you rest, and He wants to meet with you as you seek Him on your day of rest!

A woman reading a Bible with atext overlay that reads as The Importance of Rest and Sabbath In The Bible.

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