The Sabbath isn’t just a break from our work; it’s meant to reorient our relationship with our work. Ultimately, it teaches us that the fruit of our labor is in the hands of God— which are far more trustworthy than our own. It’s an invitation to surrender our pride, which tells us that our provision is solely dependent on us. If that’s the case, rest is simply a distraction we can’t afford. But Sabbath calls us to repent of our pride and enjoy the fruits of humility.

The Hebrews had been enslaved in Egypt for generations when Yahweh liberated them to be his people. He gave them the Ten Commandments to reveal more of his character and orient his people to their newfound freedom. Right after the commands to worship God alone, not make idols, and not take God’s name in vain, we arrive at one of the more puzzling commands for our twenty-first-century ears:

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep 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, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Ex. 20:8–11)

This command comes on the heels of three vertical commands focused on the people’s relationship with God. After this, the attention shifts to the people’s horizontal relationships with others and the world around them. The Sabbath command serves as a hinge between the vertical and horizontal orientations.

The Hebrew word for Sabbath comes from a root that means “to cease.” On the Sabbath, God’s people were to cease all work to experience rest. This follows the pattern of creation in Genesis where God rested on the seventh day. But it didn’t just govern the behavior of the individual—it extended to the whole community. No one had the right to make others work on the Sabbath.

Imagine what it was like for these recently enslaved people to receive the command to remember the Sabbath. They were given one whole day each week to rest and enjoy their God. What an adjustment for a community that had no concept of “vacation time!” Who were the Israelites if they weren’t working?

The idea of Sabbath is almost as shocking in our hyper-productive American culture. When I introduce the concept to the college students I work with, they typically respond that resting one day each week seems foolish. While we rest, someone else might get ahead. I can relate.

For a long time, I dreaded the Sabbath. As a recovering workaholic, a full day of rest feels a bit like dying. When accomplishments and productivity fuel your self-worth, being still is a terrifying assault on your identity. And that’s kind of the point.

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