What is the Sabbath?

Kristen Rabon

BOH Office Administrator

8/18/2025

In our busy culture, we are driven by achievements and good works; we forget about the Sabbath. The Sabbath is mentioned approximately 172 times in both the Old and New Testaments combined and is so vital that it’s the fourth of the Ten Commandments: see Exodus 20:8.

So what is the Sabbath? And should we practice it nowadays? The Bible says in Genesis 2:2-3, “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” Scripture also says in Leviticus 23:3, “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places.”

The Sabbath is a blessed time of rest after days of work, during which no normal work is to be done. We are to spend it with the Lord as our focus. This is difficult for us to do because we are often too busy with our daily lives “working for God” to spend time with Him.

However, Jesus emphasized that the Sabbath was made for the benefit of all. In Mark 2:27, it says, “And He (Jesus) said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.’” Jesus also says in Matthew 11:28-29, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

God set this time aside at the very beginning because He knew we would need it. Time spent building our relationship with the Lord is crucial to our rest and rejuvenation. Here are some important questions for us to ask ourselves: What time can we set aside for Sabbath, even if not a whole day? What can we do that would be restful? What would point us to God?