As summer comes to a close, citizens of the USA eagerly anticipate and celebrate Labor Day—a day dedicated to rest from regular work and considered the unofficial end of the summer holiday season. However, for those who believe in the Bible, our focus is not solely on man-made holidays, even though we appreciate the day off. Our rhythm of labor and rest originates directly from The Creator Himself. While many workers look forward to a break on Labor Day, we should be even more grateful for the rest we find in our Father and His set-apart Sabbath Day (Shabbat).
Our Father’s Rest Day Weekly Holiday
During the week of creation, The Creator, our heavenly Father, established the weekly work and rest cycle:
- Six days to labor, and we emulate Him in our workweek.
- The seventh day to rest, ceasing from our labor and rejoicing in His finished work.
“So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. On the seventh day God (Elohim) had finished His work of creation, so He rested from all His work. And Elohim blessed the seventh day and declared it holy (set apart), because it was the day when He rested from all His work of creation.”
Genesis 2:1-3 NLT
“Remember to observe The Sabbath day by keeping it holy (set apart). You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to The Lord (YAH) your God (Elohim). On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days YAH made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day He rested. That is why YAH blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”
Exodus 20:8-11 NLT
The weekly day of rest—the Shabbat (aka the Sabbath)—was designated by The Creator as His day of rest, forever. Observing The Most High YAH’s Shabbat Day serves as a reminder of your identity and your connection to Him. Resting and keeping His Shabbat day holy (set apart) demonstrates your allegiance and obedience to Him as your heavenly Father.
“And The Lord (YAH) said to Moses, “But as for you, say to the Israelites, ‘You shall most certainly observe (keep/guard) My Sabbath Days, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations (forever), so that you may know [without any doubt] and acknowledge that I am YAH who sanctifies you and sets you apart [for Myself]. Therefore, you shall keep the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it (doesn’t keep it set apart) must be put to death; for whoever does work on the Sabbath, that person (soul) shall be cut off from among his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them].”
Exodus 31:12-14 AMP
YAH’s High Sabbath Days
And the seventh day of the week Shabbat isn’t the only day of rest YAH established. Built into His holidays/holydays, His moedim—His appointed times—are additional days of sacred rest, often called “high Sabbaths.”
- Passover & The Feast of Unleavened Bread begin and end with days of rest (“high Shabbat days”).
- The Feast of Weeks/Pentecost concludes the counting of seven weeks with a rest day.
- The Day of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Feast of Tabernacles all have days where no ordinary work is done—they have days of Shabbat rest.
To learn more in depth about the biblical holidays listed above:
Now, these are not random work pauses; they are divine appointments—times when YAH calls His people to lay down ordinary labor so we can focus on His redemption, His provision, and His future promises. On Shabbat, we don’t rest because our jobs or culture say so—we rest and give thanks to our Father because He commands it.
While the world honors its own work-free days, YAH’s rest days remain as eternal signs, pointing us to His covenant and His Kingdom.
Working With Purpose, Resting With Hope
Another thing, YAH teaches us through Scripture, not to despise labor. In fact, YAH ordains and honors it:
- “Six days you shall labor and do all your work…” (Exodus 20:9)
- “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for YAH and not for men.” (Colossians 3:23)
But our labor is never meant to stand alone. It is always tethered to rest in YAH.
That is why the writer of Hebrews reminds us:
“There remains a rest for the people of Elohim. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest…” (Hebrews 4:9–11)
The Greater Rest Ahead
So while American culture closes summer with its Labor-free holiday, let us lift our eyes higher. Yes, rest well—but only after working well unto YAH.
We are called to:
- Work while it is still day, for the night is coming when no man can work (John 9:4).
- Work unto YAH, not unto men, knowing our reward comes from Him (Colossians 3:23).
- Pray to the Master of the harvest to send additional co-workers (Matthew 9:38).
Again, let us never forget to work hard, pressing toward YAH’s ultimate Rest—the day when The Messiah returns, judgment is finished, and we dwell and rest with YAH forever! HalleluYAH! Remember these words from Paul (Shaul):
“Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying YAH with deep reverence and fear. For YAH is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of YAH, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of The Messiah’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.”
Philippians 2:12-16 NLT
Each weekly Shabbat day, along with the high Shabbat days throughout the year, is a gift and blessing. Yet even these are only shadows of the greater rest to come. They remind us that every day of labor here is temporary—but YAH’s promised Rest is eternal.
“YAH’s promise of entering His rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. For this good news—that YAH has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them NO good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to YAH. For only we who believe can enter His rest. As for the others, YAH said, “In My anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter My place of rest,’” even though this rest has been ready since He made the world. We know it is ready because of the place in the Scriptures where it mentions the seventh day: “On the seventh day YAH rested from all His work.” But in the other passage YAH said, “They will never enter My place of rest.” So YAH’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed YAH. So YAH set another time for entering His rest, and that time is today. YAH announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: “Today when you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts.” Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, YAH would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of YAH. For all who have entered into YAH’s rest have rested from their labors, just as YAH did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey YAH, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.”
Hebrews 4:1-11 NLT
Until next time, shalom ✌🏾
~Yahrahn
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