Q: This summer it seems like everyone went on vacation. Is it biblical to take vacations?
A: Strictly speaking, it’s difficult to find examples of believers going on “vacation” in the Bible. Paul took trips, but the missionary journeys were hardly relaxing. Jesus got away for prayer and spiritual refreshment, but those were more like spiritual retreats than modern vacations. And David once ignored his military duties in order to spend his afternoons relaxing (2 Samuel 11:2), but that led to his committing adultery and murder—hardly a positive biblical instance of vacation.
Still, Scripture provides a basis for times of rejuvenation. For one, God built cycles of rest into the order to the creation, marking one day each week to be spent away from work. Beyond that, annual festivals on the Jewish calendar provided for extended rest and recreation. The author of Ecclesiastes rightly called his readers to the pleasures of life: “Go, eat your bread in joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do” (Ecclesiastes 9:7). The Lord has sanctioned recreation; there is no need to feel guilty for times focused on enjoyment—this is part of God’s plan.
When considering vacation plans though, one issue should rise to the top of a Christian’s mind: am I going on vacation simply to avoid work or to rejuvenate for work? Only the latter is a godly motivation for time away.
Scripture portrays work as dignified, a part of God’s good creation before the fall, and no one should avoid it. God Himself is portrayed as a worker (Genesis 1), planning, deciding, ordering, doing, and evaluating repeatedly in creating the world. Indeed, He continues to work throughout history (cf. Psalm 121) and is constantly working even today (John 5:17). In that vein, the Fourth Commandment prescribes six days of diligent work each week. Just as it is wrong for a Christian to hate God’s other commands, it is a sin to seek a vacation out of disdain for work.
Rather than thinking of time away as vacation (a cognate of “vacant”), perhaps we should reclaim the term “holiday” (from “holy day”). The emphasis should fall on spiritual reorientation and refreshment in order to tackle our work “as unto the Lord” when we return.
In the novel Moby Dick, Herman Melville illustrated the need for rest in service of effective work. Before the whalers realized this principle, the poor harpooner would have to row along with his colleagues in a boat pursuing the whale. But by the time they reached it, he was exhausted and ill-equipped to spear the beast with accuracy and strength. They finally decided he should ride while the others rowed so that when the time came, he could do his job with good effect. Though he rested, it was as a means and not as an end in itself.
Unfortunately, many have lost this sense of purpose in their rest. By their standard, the more rest the merrier—avoid as much work as possible with trips to the beach, the amusement park, and the resort. But for the God-called servant, there is a different path. We enjoy boats, golf, camping, and explorations of exotic destinations, just like our non-believing peers. Yet our rest has a purpose: it’s rest in order to work.