Have you ever wondered how to keep the Sabbath holy in today’s world—or if it’s even possible for you?
When reading the Ten Commandments, a lot of them seem pretty obvious. No murdering, no stealing, no adultery…but those are actually at the bottom of the list.
Right after God’s commands about how he wants his people to relate to him (no idolatry, no irreverent use of his name), he says this:
‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 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 or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.
You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
Deuteronomy 5:12-15 ESV
I don’t think most of us need to be convinced that the ‘keeping the Sabbath holy’ is a good idea, or even that it’s a commandment. But between weekend errands, household chores, and family demands, taking a full day off feels unrealistic.
So, how do you keep the Sabbath holy—realistically?
It’s not about following a set of rigid rules (read the gospel of Mark if you disagree)! It’s about learning to live from a place of rest, not for it.
So what does it really mean to keep the Sabbath holy today? Let’s explore what Scripture says and how to begin practicing a rhythm of holy rest.
What Does It Mean to “Keep the Sabbath Holy”?
In Hebrew, the word for “holy” is kadosh (קָדוֹשׁ), meaning ‘separate’, or ‘set apart’. That phrase was used to describe ancient Israel as a people ‘set aside’ for God’s special use (Deut. 7:6), and items in the temple as set apart for worship (Exodus 40:9). ‘Holy’ is used again throughout the epistles and especially in 1 Peter to describe the family of believers (Col. 3:12; 1 Peter 2:9).
So what does it mean for the Sabbath day to be holy? It means that it’s dedicated to God, and not like every other day.
Key Components of Sabbath
- How to Keep the Sabbath Holy: Worship.
Every time the word kadosh is used, it either describes God himself, or indicates that God has a special presence/purpose for the item or individual it refers to.
How do you keep the Sabbath holy? Use it as a tool for worship.
Maybe that means playing your favorite worship music and going on a bike ride. Maybe it means meeting up with a godly friend to pray for each other. Maybe it means extended time in your favorite book of the Bible, or in an easy-to-read/audio translation.
Keeping the Sabbath holy means pausing from work to rest in God’s presence.
- How to Keep the Sabbath Holy: Recognize Our Humanity.
In both the Exodus and Deuteronomy passages that relate the Ten Commandments, it is emphasized that the Sabbath isn’t just for heads of households, CEOs, or people with extra resources…it is for children, servants, immigrants, and even livestock. Every single individual was to be able to rest and keep the Sabbath.
Why? “Because you were slaves in Egypt.”
The Israelites knew what it was like to be treated cruelly, and to need to work nonstop to stay alive. They were never to treat others–or themselves–like that, because God had set them free and promised to provide for their needs.
Keeping the Sabbath holy means recognizing that every single one of us is deserving of rest, and every single one of us can trust God to take care of our unfinished work.
God’s Design for Rest Starts in Creation
We first see hints of God’s plan for Sabbath in Genesis 2.
It says:
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 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.
Genesis 2:1-3 ESV
God worked for six days, imagining, speaking, and breathing life into the entire universe. And on the seventh day, he stopped—not because he was tired (Isaiah 40:28), but to delight in what he had done.
But what about Adam? Little Adam, the youngest member of creation, spent his first day of existence resting with God. It was only after the first Sabbath that God assigned Adam gardening tasks.
This wasn’t incidental on God’s part. It was intentional.
We were never meant to treat rest as a reward for our productivity. Rest should be our starting place: our work is rooted in Sabbath worship.
How to Keep the Sabbath Holy Today
1. Stop Working
There’s no way around this one. You’ve gotta pause the grind.
Let your boss know that you won’t be available on Sundays (or your selected Sabbath day), and then keep your word. Turn off email notifications, keep Outlook closed, and don’t peek.
For parents, don’t think of your kids as an obstacle to rest—instead, consider Sabbath an opportunity to delight in your relationship with them. Have a family movie night with frozen pizza, go to the park together, and make sure to leave your phone at home.
If you’re a stay-at-home parent, think of ways to minimize your work on Sabbath days (and remember, it’s okay to use paper plates and skip laundry for a day!).
This all being said, not working for a day will take some preparation. Be sure to consider what you will need to have finished by Saturday night in order for a Sunday Sabbath to be possible. That might mean prepping meals in advance, setting an out of office email, or getting chores done the day before.
Remember: there will always be unfinished work you didn’t get to. That’s okay. It’s not going anywhere—God will help you handle it.
2. Start With Quiet
It’s amazing what emotions can come up when we stop. When you first start learning how to keep the Sabbath holy, you might find that you’re confronted with anxiety, a desire to avoid your thoughts, or just pure exhaustion.
Try to spend the first five minutes of your day in silence. Put your phone in another room, maybe light a candle, and invite Jesus in your day.
Ask God, What do I need right now? For many of us, there’s a good chance it’s a nap. Or a hug. Or an hour on the couch with that great book your friend recommended.
Try to avoid social media and binge-watching, especially if you have a job that requires a lot of screen time. Remember, practicing the Sabbath means using it differently. Don’t waste your appetite on junk food when God is offering a home-cooked meal.
3. Choose Delight Over Duty
Here’s another good question for Jesus: Lord, you made me. How can I keep the Sabbath holy for you? How did you create me to experience joy and rest?
This is a good question because:
- All of us have different needs, and
- Many of us have lost track of what brings us delight.
If you’re a stay at home mom, cooking might not be particularly exciting for you. But there might be someone out there who would experience pure joy in crafting a slow, home-cooked meal to enjoy with family or friends. For them, how to keep the Sabbath holy is taking time to cook.
Similarly, if you’re a pastor or in ministry, intense Bible study might not actually bring you that much joy—but listening to worship music while laying in the grass might refresh your spirit like nothing else.
Keeping the Sabbath holy includes delighting in God’s goodness. Don’t be afraid to enjoy the beautiful gifts he has given you.
Living From Rest, Not For It
When you begin your week from a place of rest, you anchor your identity in God—not your productivity.
If this rhythm of living is awakening a longing for you, please give it a try. Don’t be afraid to start imperfectly: if one day is too much for you, set aside a few hours and defend them fiercely.
A great place to start is to make a quick list of “stops” and “delights”: the parts of your week that you find draining and want to avoid during your Sabbath, and the parts of life that bring you joy, that you want to incorporate into your Sabbath.
This list will help you learn how to keep the Sabbath holy—to pause from work, and spend time in gratitude and worship.
In this way, Sabbath becomes a weekly reminder:
I am not what I produce. I belong to God.
For further learning:
Read The Nature of Rest: What the Bible and Creation Teach Us About Sabbath Living.
Listen to the Coffee and Bible Time Podcast episode: “Why Rest Matters: Lessons from Creation and Chronic Illness“
Listen to the Coffee and Bible Time Podcast episode: “A Word for the Weary: How Sabbath Changed Our Lives”
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