Labor Day …
The end of summer …
For many, the beginning of a new schedule of school and work.
A day to cease from labor, and to rest.
That’s a Sabbath, isn’t it?
The Origin of Labor Day
Labor Day began as a day to honor “work.”
In his article, What Is Labor Day and Why Do Americans Celebrate It?, Conor Gaffey, of Newsweek, reported:
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the holiday is “a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.” Labor Day is a “yearly national tribute” to the “contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and wellbeing of our country.”
Labor Day began as a protest against long hours of work and poor working conditions.
Conor Gaffey continues:
But while it is celebrated in modern times with BBQs, holidays and sales shopping, the holiday has a bloody history and came out of a long battle for workers’ rights in the country.
In the Chicago Tribune, Mark Noon wrote:
In the late 19th century, mill, mine and factory workers typically toiled from dawn to dusk in hazardous conditions. It was common to work 12- to 14-hour days, six days a week.
Commentary: This Labor Day Put Down Your iPhone and Celebrate the Way Its Founders Intended
Labor Day became a Federal holiday.
Conor Gaffey notes:
In 1894, the U.S. Congress voted unanimously to approve Labor Day as a national holiday, and President Grover Cleveland signed it into law.
Labor Day Today
What is Labor Day for you?
- A last lazy weekend at the swimming pool?
- A final rush to get a “refreshing and restorative” vacation before the head-long rush of the beginning of a new school year?
- A shout in the face of time by ending the summer with bang (a party and fireworks)?
The Origins and Traditions of Labor Day inform us:
Although it may seem strange to celebrate the value of labor by taking time off from work, these leisurely pursuits have long been regarded as fitting for a holiday meant to honor the “contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”
The originators of Labor Day saw the day as a celebration as well as a commemoration.
Again, Mark Noon, of the Chicago Tribune:
As many people gather this weekend for a final outdoor barbecue or travel to share time with family and friends, they are actually in the spirit of what the holiday’s founders intended. The first Labor Day did not end with the parade. Marchers and spectators made their way to Elm Park, the city’s largest beer garden, to enjoy lager, picnic lunches, games, dancing, singing and fireworks. It not only drew families together but created a temporary bond among ethnic groups.
This Labor Day Put Down Your iPhone and Celebrate the Way Its Founders Intended
Nevertheless, the Labor Day has changed.
- No longer is it a celebration of the American workforce.
- No longer is it even a tribute to the reduction of long hours on the job, whether at the workplace or not.
- No longer is it even an acknowledgement of the role work has in giving life value and purpose.
As Chad Broughton remarked in The Atlantic:
Somewhere along the line, Labor Day lost its meaning. Today the holiday stands for little more than the end of summer and the start of school, weekend-long sales, and maybe a barbecue or parade. It is no longer political. Many politicians and commentators do their best to avoid any mention of organized labor when observing the holiday, maybe giving an obligatory nod to that abstract entity, “the American Worker.”
The Rhythm of Work and Rest: God’s Original Intent
YeHoVaH’s original intent was for humanity to follow His pattern: a pattern that honors both Labor and Rest.
The pattern of Labor and Rest began with the creation of the universe.
For six days God did His work of creation.
And then He rested.
What Is the Sabbath?
In Genesis 1:5 (NASB) God set the precedent of the days: “there was evening and there was morning, one day.”
Even today, the Jews count the days as beginning on the evening at sunset and continuing until sunset the next day.
On the seventh day God rested from His labors of creation and set it apart as holy unto Him.
2 By the seventh7637 day God completed3615 His work which He had done, and He rested7673 on the seventh7637 day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh7637 day and sanctified it, because in it He rested7673 from all His work which God had created and made. Genesis 2:2-3 NASB
shebii or shebiith7637 “seventh” an ordinal number
kalah3615 “completed” to be complete, at an end, finished, accomplished, or spent
shabath7673 “rested” desist from labor, rest
Thus, the seventh day of the Hebrew week is called Shabbat in Hebrew, or Sabbath in English.
Ray C. Stedman, in Jesus is Our Sabbath Rest, reinforces the connection between Sabbath, rest, and seven:
[T]he supreme meaning of sabbath is rest. In fact, the word “seven,” the word “sabbath,” and the word “rest,” are all the same basic word in Hebrew, Shabat, seven, sabbath, rest. Therefore, the heart of the meaning of sabbath is rest. That is its primary significance.
The rest we need is more than physical. Yes, as living creatures we need rest for our body and nourishment for the restoration of our physical needs.
But we also need to rest and rejuvenate our mind and our soul.
From Project Restore:
Remember, to rest means to cease our activity. It also means to cease from our worries and the cares of the day. We are given only one day at a time, and no one knows what the next day will bring. It could be better than we think, especially if we heed the invitation of a loving God:
The Sabbath Was Modeled by the Creator
11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested5117 on the seventh7637 day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath7676 day and made it holy. Exodus 20:11 NASB
shebii or shebiith7637 “seventh” an ordinal number
nuach5117 “rested” rest, settle down and remain; repose, be quiet, have rest: after labor
Rabbi Dr. Michael Samuel, from the Jewish Virtual Library explains:
God’s resting from creation teaches us that as human beings created in the image of God, we too need to make time for rest and purposely abstain from interfering with creation one day of the week.
The Sabbath was Given as a Life-affirming Boundary by a Loving God
8 “Remember the Sabbath7676 day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh7637 day is a sabbath7676 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. Exodus 20:8-10 NASB
shabbath7676 “Sabbath” intermission, specifically the Sabbath
The cycle of Rest and Labor is important to our mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.
Work without Rest leads to physical and mental burnout.
Rest without meaningful Work leads to a shallow, hedonistic lifestyle of emptiness.
Project Restore says this about Rest:
The principle of activity preceding rest is an important one for our health. Physical and mental activity both require energy and create waste products. As our energy level goes down and wastes accumulate, we experience fatigue and a desire for rest.
Fatigue is protective in that it serves to make us aware of our need of rest. It is not a good idea to ignore this signal or to try to counteract it with drugs.
Rest is so important to life that the vital organs are designed with built-in rest periods. The heart rests between each heat, and the lungs between each breath. The stomach rests between each meal if it is given time. The central nervous system is recharged during sleep.
The Sabbath was Given for All People, for All Time
27 Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man444, and not man444 for the Sabbath. 28 “So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27-28 NASB
In the Greek, anthropos means man and mankind – humanity.
ánthrōpos444 – man, also the generic term for “mankind“; the human race; people, including women and men
Yeshua did not say the Sabbath was only for Jewish men. He said the Sabbath was for all of humanity.
According to God’s Sabbath in Today’s World:
Jesus Christ said that He was “Lord of the Sabbath” and that “the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27-28). He did not limit the Sabbath by teaching that it was made for any particular group of people at any specific time in history. Instead, it was made for all mankind for all time. It was enshrined in the Ten Commandments, the heart and core of God’s divine law for mankind.
Is the Sabbath For Today?
What about today?
Do people need the Sabbath?
Matt Smethurst, in the article What Does It Mean to Observe the Sabbath? thinks so:
This pattern of regular rest [the weekly Sabbath] ought to be woven into the rhythm of our lives.
Do Christians need the Sabbath?
JB Cachila, in the Christianity Today article, How Important Is the Sabbath? 3 Reasons, states:
Every Christian should know and keep in mind that whenever God commands something, it’s not for our harm or for our loss. There’s nothing wrong with obeying God’s commands.
Yes, by the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God, keeping the Torah, the Directions, is no longer required for salvation, for we have righteousness through Christ.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Romans 10:4 NASB
Torah8451 Law: direction, instruction, law
However, as the Torah guided the lives of the Israelites, for God’s good purpose, so too, the Torah, especially the Ten Commandments, is still a good guide for Christians today.
Again, Matt Smethurst:
Even though we are no longer under the Sabbath law like Old Testament believers, I do believe it’s vital for believers to honor the Sabbath principle God has embedded in his creation—and even modeled himself—from the start.
The Promise of the Sabbath
The Promise of the Sabbath is the opportunity for greater intimacy with the Father.
13 “If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, And honor it, desisting from your own ways, From seeking your own pleasure And speaking your own word, 14 Then you will take delight in the LORD, And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” Isaiah 58:13-14 NASB
According to the article God’s Sabbath in Today’s World, YeHoVaH’s original intent for the Sabbath is for relationship, especially with Him.
Here we see God’s true intent for the Sabbath: It is part of a proper, loving relationship with Him. It is a matter of honoring God. It is a matter of surrendering one of our most precious possessions— our time —to build a right relationship with our Creator.
Properly observing the Sabbath, according to God’s instruction here, means turning away from “going your own way,” “doing as you please” and “speaking idle words.” These actions trample His holy time underfoot, says God.
But the Sabbath is not to be a time for doing nothing. It is to be a time for building a relationship with God. It is to be a delight, a time to “find your joy in the Lord,” He tells us. Rather than spending this time on our own interests and pursuits, it is a time set aside to concentrate on the things that are pleasing to God and to nourish our relationship with Him.
The Blessing of the Sabbath
The Blessing of the Sabbath is ours, if we receive it.
Like all areas of believing and following Yeshua, it is our decision.
Again, from God’s Sabbath in Today’s World:
God’s Word tells us that His commandments are never burdensome (1 John 5:3). They are not meaningless or arbitrary. They were given to humanity in love from a God of infinite wisdom and knowledge (Isaiah 55:8-9). They were given to be a benefit to mankind, bringing blessings when obeyed (Deuteronomy 4:40; Deuteronomy 5:29-33). These commandments include God’s Sabbath. It is a day of rest and refreshing, a gift to mankind by the One who designed and created us. It is a time for physical, emotional and spiritual renewal.
God knew that we would need this time to nurture and strengthen a right relationship with Him. Part of the Sabbath command reads, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work …” God tells us to take care of our ordinary work and concerns on the other six days, leaving our time and our minds free to properly worship and obey Him by observing the Sabbath. When we are free to focus our minds and thoughts on God’s way and purpose, the Sabbath truly becomes the blessing and delight God intends it to be (Isaiah 58:13-14).
On this seventh day of each week, we should cease from our own work and allow God to work in us, building and nourishing our relationship with our Creator. We will then discover and experience the blessings of God’s Sabbath rest!
So, How Does the Sabbath relate to Labor Day, anyway?
First, a look at today’s US labor force.
The State of Labor Today
According to Jay Zagorsky, in Have We Forgotten the True Meaning of Labor Day?:
[The] early [Labor Day] organizers clearly won since the most recent data show that the average person working in manufacturing is employed for a bit over 40 hours a week and most people work only five days a week.
In contrast, Mark A. Noon, in Commentary: This Labor Day Put Down Your iPhone and Celebrate the Way Its Founders Intended reports:
[A] study, “Working Conditions in the United States,” released … by RAND Corp … [finds] that “American workers often work very long hours” and many, about half, “work in their free time to meet demands.”
The bump in time devoted to the job will come as no surprise to those who are “on call” 24/7 or those pressured to monitor things at the office through their smartphones and home computers. What is peculiar, though, is how the survey’s findings evoke the origins of Labor Day.
From the Rand Report itself:
More than one-in-four American workers say they have too little time to do their job, with the complaint being most common among white-collar workers. In addition, workers say the intensity of work frequently spills over into their personal lives, with about one-half of people reporting that they perform some work in their free time in order to meet workplace demands.
Have we come so far in work and life balance, only to lose it all again?
The fast pace of everyday life, the never-ending deluge of information from the internet, and today’s technology of electronic connectivity leave us over-worked, over-stressed, and over-whelmed.
James Surowiecki, in The Cult of Overwork, published in the New Yorker, reports:
In the pre-cell-phone, pre-e-mail days, it was possible for people to find respite when they left the office. But, as David Solomon, the global co-head of investment banking at Goldman, told me, “Today, technology means that we’re all available 24/7. And, because everyone demands instant gratification and instant connectivity, there are no boundaries, no breaks.”
Are we again like slaves in Egypt?
Dennis Prager, in Six Reasons Why Keeping the Sabbath Matters, published in the National Review, thinks so:
As the second version of the [fourth] Commandment, the one summarized by Moses in the Book of Deuteronomy [5:15], states, “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt.” In other words, remember that slaves cannot have a Sabbath; only free men and women can.
In light of this, in the Biblical view, unless it is necessary for survival, people who choose to work seven days a week are essentially slaves – slaves to work or perhaps to money, but slaves nonetheless. The millionaire who works seven days a week is simply a rich slave.
Once again, the rhythm of Work and Rest of God’s original intent is broken, much to our detriment.
Fast Company, a business website, reports in The Highest Paying Jobs of The Future Will Eat Your Life:
A hundred years ago labor organizers campaigned for a radical idea: the 40-hour workweek. We are now moving in the opposite direction.
With high salaries, overtired workers may be able to mitigate their exhaustion by hiring low-wage workers in precarious employment situations to clean their homes, cook their food, and do their chores. But the impact on family life and friendships is likely to be detrimental because money can’t buy love.
The Sabbath in Jesus
28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest373. 29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST372/4771 FOR YOUR SOULS. 30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NASB
anapaúō373 G (from aná303, “up, completing a process,” which intensifies paúō3973, “pause”) – properly, to give (experience) rest after the needed task is completed; to pause (rest) “after precious toil and care“
anápausis372 – G inner rest (tranquility). See (anapauō373).
margoa4771 rest, H. from raga’7280; a resting place. break, divide, find ease, be a moment, cause, give, make to rest, make suddenly
Yeshua says He will give us rest, if we follow Him.
In verse 30 He quotes the Prophet Jeremiah.
(All caps in the NASB designate a quote from the Old Testament.)
16 Thus says the LORD, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; And you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Jeremiah 6:16 NASB
Yeshua is not offering us something new.
No, He is reconfirming His Father’s words in Genesis.
Matt Smethurst, on the weekly Sabbath:
The weekly Sabbath had always been pointing beyond itself to an eternal Sabbath. So how do God’s people now—in the age of fulfillment—obey the fourth commandment? We do so ultimately by resting in the finished work of Jesus.
Yeshua’s Way of the Sabbath
Yeshua’s Way of the Sabbath was not the restrictive “shall’s and “shall not’s” of the man-made “laws” of the Pharisees.
Once more, from God’s Sabbath in Today’s World:
Jesus Christ showed by His example the proper way to observe the Sabbath. It was never intended to be a rigid, joyless day constrained by endless restrictions detailing what could and could not be done. He used it as a time to delight in sharing with others the joy of God’s Word and way of life, showing it to be a time for strengthening our relationship with God. He used it as a time for healing—physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. It was meant to be a time for encouraging and helping those who are less fortunate.
Jesus Christ made it clear there was nothing wrong with doing good on the Sabbath, pointing out that God’s Sabbath command had never forbidden it. He emphasized what the day is for, rather than listing all the things we can’t do. His actions on the Sabbath pointed to the coming age He referred to as that of “the Kingdom of God,” in which all humanity will share in God’s promised healing, joy and freedom (Matthew 4:23; Matthew 9:35; Luke 4:16-19; Luke 9:11; Luke 10:9).
Christ’s example showed that the Sabbath is to be a day of physical rest and spiritual rejuvenation. It is meant to be a welcome, refreshing break from our weekly labors, a time during which we must no longer be absorbed in our ordinary daily cares and concerns.
Labor Day Today?
So where does that leave us for Labor Day?
Do we need to rediscover its meaning, reinterpreted for today?
Jay Zagorsky, in Have we forgotten the true meaning of Labor Day?
Today Labor Day is no longer about trade unionists marching down the street with banners and their tools of trade. Instead, it is a confused holiday with no associated rituals.
The original holiday was meant to handle a problem of long working hours and no time off. Although the battle over these issues would seem to have been won long ago, this issue is starting to come back with a vengeance, not for manufacturing workers but for highly skilled white-collar workers, many of whom are constantly connected to work.
What Does Your Labor and Your Sabbath Look Like?
Do your labors eat up your time, starve your relationships with family, friends, and … God?
Is your “Sabbath” spent with God a few hurried minutes in the morning, or a few harried minutes between tasks?
Is it time to consider restoring YeHoVaH’s rhythm of Work and Rest?
Consider this challenge, from Jay Zagorsky:
If you work all the time and never really take a vacation, start a new ritual that honors the original spirit of Labor Day. Give yourself the day off. Don’t go in to work. Shut off your phone, computer and other electronic devices connecting you to your daily grind. Then go to a barbecue, like the original participants did over a century ago, and celebrate having at least one day off from work during the year!
What if you took up Jay Zagorsky’s challenge?
What if you made time for a regular Shabbat Shalom, a Sabbath of peace?
The word Shalom [7965] means peace. What kind of peace? How do we attain it? Peace must begin with peace of mind. Peace with ourselves, peace with our health, peace with our wealth — all of these qualities will help us find fulfillment and satisfaction. Shalom also means wholeness. That’s what Shabbat is for — a time to find shalom and wholeness in our turbulent lives.
[A] Shabbat provides the sacred time to feel one with our Creator and Friend.
Shabbat Why Did God Need to Rest on the Seventh Day by Rabbi Dr Michael Samuel
In Hebrew, word shalom means more than merely “peace.”
shalom7965: G
1) completeness in number;
2) safety, soundness, in body, safe, secure;
3) welfare, health, prosperity;
4) peace, quiet, tranquility, contentment;
5) peace, friendship A man of my friendship; B peace with God, especially in covenant relationship;
6) peace from war
What if you had a regular Shabbat Shalom?
28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:2 NASB
What if …
Blessings,
TLThomas
It’s ok to doubt, if you check it out!
Be a Berean!
10The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Acts 17:10, 11 ESV
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© TLThomas 2018