Labor Day was an important holiday while I was growing up; it was the final three-day weekend marking the end of summer. For all of us young people, we knew the school bell would soon ring, summoning us back to the joys/drudgery of school.
In my household, Labor Day weekend was our last family adventure to our lake cabin. The last fishing trip of the summer. The last water ski runs. On Monday, as the sun slipped past the noon sky, mom and dad began closing our lake cabin up tight for the winter.
That’s what Labor Day meant as a kid growing up: the end of summer and the start of another school season. Regardless of how your family celebrated, I suspect that when you were a kid, Labor Day simply marked the end of summer and the start of another school year.
Labor Day Celebration
Labor Day was instituted in 1894 to celebrate the accomplishments of laborers and give them an extra day of rest with their families. In those days, the average American worked six days a week and put in over 60 hours per week. So it seemed fitting to celebrate the accomplishments of these hard-working Americans with a day of rest, recognition, and celebration.
As the Industrial Revolution gained steam, machines produced more and more in less and less time. By the mid-1900s, America’s average work week dropped to about 40 hours. By 1960, a study by Times Magazine claimed that with advancing technology, we were becoming so efficient that Americans would soon have to work only 20 hours a week. But, the article wondered, what would Americans do with all that extra free time?
Fast forward 60 years. I don’t know about you, but I don’t know anyone who works 20 hours a week and supports themselves, let alone a family! Instead, we are still working hard. We are still stressed. And we are still coming home exhausted after 40 to 60-hour work weeks.
What we need is rest. We need spiritual and physical rest today more than ever!
Rest Is Important to God
Rest is important to God. In fact, rest is mentioned some 500 times in the Bible. It’s a theme we encounter throughout the Old and New Testaments.
So, out of all those, I gathered just five examples.
God Rests
The story of God’s creation of the universe concludes with God standing back, saying that all He had created was good, and then He rested!
“By the seventh day, God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day, he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done” (Genesis 2:2-3).
Sabbath Rest Instituted
On their journey to the Promised Land, the Israelites stopped at Mount Sinai, where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. In the fourth commandment, God instituted the Sabbath telling the Israelites they should work only six days a week and rest on the seventh. The purpose of the Sabbath was to rest and worship God.
“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, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:9-11).
Israelites Promised a Land of Rest
As the Israelites prepared to enter the Promised Land, God ensured Joshua, their new leader, understood the importance of rest. God said the land he was giving them was a place of rest.
“Remember what Moses, the servant of the LORD, commanded you: ‘The LORD your God is giving you a place of rest. He has given you this land.’ Your wives, children, and livestock may remain here in the land Moses assigned to you on the east side of the Jordan River. But your strong warriors, fully armed, must lead the other tribes across the Jordan to help them conquer their territory. Stay with them until the LORD gives them rest, as He has given you rest, and until they, too, possess the land the LORD your God is giving them” (Joshua 1:13-15:).
True Rest Comes from God
Jesus, recognizing His followers’ challenges, reminded them that true rest, rest for their bodies and souls, came only from Him.
“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Sabbath Rest Reminder
In the letter to the Hebrews, the author stresses the position of Jesus as the Son of God and reminds them of God’s promise of rest that comes only for those who believe.
“God’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 God 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 God. For only we who believe can enter his rest” (Hebrews 4:1-3).
Let’s Celebrate Labor Day with Sabbath Rest!
Even with these few examples, you see how vital rest is to God. First, God labored, and then He rested. He commands the same for us, to labor and to rest.
However, we rarely rest the way God intended. We “rest” by watching sports on TV or maybe by lounging at the lake.
But to rest the way God intended, to find true rest for our bodies and souls, we must come to Christ. We must give our burdens to Christ and take His yoke. Only then will we find true rest for our souls that refreshes our bodies!
The rest God intends for us is not limited to a one-day-a-year celebration. God’s rest is for every week and every day of our lives. So let’s rethink our need for rest and enter into His rest daily, for His burden is light!
More Articles
I have written many articles on obedience to God. You can find them by typing “Obedience to God” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are several of my favorites.
- #497: Is God Testing Our Faith When He Asks Us to Wait?
- #493: Do You Have the Right Answer to This Important Question?
- #475: Does the Bible Call Us to Balance or Obedience?
- #426: Fulfill the Will of God by Taking the First Step
- #423: The Three Most Common Excuses Leading to Failure
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Do you struggle to rest the way God intended? If so, what keeps you from accepting God’s promise of rest?
I’d love your help. This blog is read primarily because people like you share it with friends. Would you be kind enough to share it by pressing the share button?
Category: Personal Development | Obedience to God
Ron, I remember Labor Day at your lake cabin. That was a lot of fun when we were kids. Today as I think about what you wrote I see that rest is a big topic in the Bible. I am reminded how important rest is. I am just wondering if the problems of life get me discouraged a lot because I don’t enter into Sabbath rest often. This is something for me to think about.
I know what you mean, Steve! Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our lives that we neglect the thing that would lighten our burden! I admit – I, too, need to be more consistent in taking my Sabbath rest.