It's not holiday but Holy Day - Exodus 35...

Near the end of Exodus, just when Israel is organizing materials to build the Tabernacle, Moses gathers the entire community and says something unexpected: “For six days work shall be done, but the seventh day shall be holy — a Sabbath of rest to the Lord.”

To us, that sounds normal. To them, it was revolutionary. These were former slaves. Pharaoh had worked them relentlessly. There was no rhythm of rest in Egypt. Production was constant. Value was measured by output. Brick quotas did not pause for reflection. But now their new Leader introduces something radical:

• Stopping work is obedience.
• Working nonstop is disobedience.

That must have sounded shocking to them. All of a sudden, lighting a fire for labor purposes could cost you your life. This day was legally protected from productivity. This was more than a schedule adjustment. It was identity reconstruction. Thinking further, this was the first time they're learning about rest. Humanity never had a weekly, monthly or yearly calendar prior to this. They watched the stars and determined the times and seasons through them. In comparison;

• In Egypt they rested only when exhausted.
• In covenant they rested because commanded.

There is a difference that we should however not miss. Take note of the wording carefully: it was not called a holiday but a holy day. A holiday is usually self-directed. You step away to refresh yourself, to travel, to entertain your mind, to relax your body. A holy day on the other hand is relational. It is not simply stopping work; it is redirecting attention. The text says it is “a Sabbath of rest to the Lord.” They were not merely resting from labor but were resting toward Someone.

That changes everything.

It is like telling a friend, “I am clearing my schedule for you.” The value of the day is not in inactivity but in presence. For Israel, Sabbath became a weekly declaration:

• We are no longer slaves.
• Our survival does not depend on constant labor.
• God is our provider.

Stopping once a week was an act of trust. This however proved to be difficult. Later generations would bend and stretch the command, turning rest into regulation and regulation into burden. The very gift meant to free them sometimes became heavy.

Cue in Jesus saying “Sabbath was meant for man and not man for Sabbath,” and you realize this conversation will be long. Not with me though. Go talk with God.

Rest is harder than it sounds. To stop is to admit you are not in control. To cease striving is to confess dependence. For those outside Israel, the principle shifts but the heart remains. Instead of a single weekly holy pause, the invitation becomes ongoing communion — daily awareness, continual surrender, unceasing connection. In some ways that feels even harder.

In other ways it is the fulfillment of what Sabbath was pointing toward. The deeper issue underneath both practices is the same: Will you trust God enough to stop after every work and before the next one to commune with Him?

Sabbath was not about inactivity but allegiance. Perhaps that is why it appears right before the construction of the Tabernacle. Before they build a dwelling place for God, they must learn to dwell with Him in time. Mambo ni tricky sana — because even today we are tempted to measure worth by busyness. But the wilderness lesson remains: Freedom is not just leaving captivity but rather learning to rest in the One who brought you out.