If I were to show you a list of the Ten Commandments and ask, “Which of these do you think is the least important,” what would be your answer? Hopefully, your answer would be, “All of these are equally important!” But if we were to be honest about the way we live as Christians today, the one that appears most likely to be considered the least is number four on the list: “Honor the Sabbath and keep it holy.”

There are a couple of reasons why this might be the case. First, it may seem to us like the Sabbath is simply all about us getting physical rest. Second, if we are honest, many of us aren’t quite sure what it looks like to follow this commandment properly. This can cause people to have a general sense of respect for what it says, but a very fluid definition of what it means. Not only do I think this commandment is important, but I also believe that it points to the hope that God has for every human person. The message of this kind of rest is like a thread that is woven throughout the whole Bible. In other words, the Sabbath is a really big deal.

From the very beginning of the story of Scripture, God intended for humanity to understand that there is a deep, soul-satisfying contentment that can be found in Him alone. When God created the first humans, He didn’t make them to do things for Him but instead created them to be with Him. Any work that would be done would come from the relationship with the God who made them. This is important for us to know because in Genesis 3, we see the first instance when humanity decided to stop trusting God alone to satisfy their souls and instead turned to their own ideas about how to find contentment. 

Ever since the realization of the tragic mistake that we made, humans have been attempting to find ways to work to get back into relationship and connection with God. But you can probably see how working to restore the relationship would be missing the point altogether. In Genesis, we read about how God created everything, including human beings. On the seventh day of the creation account, Genesis 2:2-3 says that “God rested from all His work that He had done in creation” (ESV). The phrase “work that He had done” is repeated three times. This emphasis on that phrase is meant for us to pay attention to it. 

Later on, in the book of Exodus, we read about Moses receiving a list of commands that God wanted His people to know that explained how to remain connected and in rhythm with Him. One of those instructions was for the people to honor the Sabbath and keep it Holy (Exodus 31:13-17). The word “Sabbath” means to stop or cease. The intention for this day was for people to stop doing work that they can do with their hands to remember the work that can only be done by the hand of God, alone. Although human beings are tempted to try to earn a connection with God by their work, He wanted us to stop and remember His finished work.

Some of us might be tempted to say something like, “Wasn’t this only important in the Old Testament? Didn’t Jesus come to fulfill the law?” Well, if this idea was simply about following rules and laws, one might have a point. But what God gave us in the gift of the Sabbath was a rhythmic opportunity to answer one question from Him:  “Am I enough for you?”

When we remember to Sabbath, we stop and consider the condition of our soul. When we Sabbath, we explore whether our identity and worth are found in the work that we do or the work that can only be done by God. Just before Jesus died, when He was bloodied and beaten, hanging on the cross, He uttered the words that have solidified the significance of continuing to remember the Sabbath today:  “It is finished.”

Once again, just like we read in Genesis, God is resting from the work that can only be done by His hand alone. In Matthew 11, Jesus tells those that are weary and heavy-laden that He is the source of what they are longing for. In the wake of Jesus’s finished work on the cross, we gain the opportunity to find rest for our souls. 

Although there is a beautiful benefit in our gaining rest when we Sabbath, the day is really all about Him. We “keep the Sabbath holy” by making the day a celebration of the fact that we can work and provide but we stop to remember that it is God who is truly taking care of us.

FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: 

There is so much that could be discussed when it comes to the topic of Sabbath, so here are a few resources that may be helpful along the journey.

• Keeping the Sabbath Wholly by Marva Dawn
• The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
• Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel
• Subversive Sabbath by A.J. Swoboda
• Soul Rest 7-Day Devotional 
• For further discussion, free resources, and learning opportunities visit findrest.org.