Notice that the command from God regarding the rest that the people were to have on the first day of the month was from doing 'servile work'. The Jewish authorities over the years following had defined what kind of work this might mean, so that plucking heads of grain in order to eat and picking up your mat that had been your bed, because you were healed and could now walk, were forbidden, as also was healing on the Sabbath or freeing a person from demonic power, but if an ox had fallen into a pit, then the law allowed you to rescue it and animals that needed water could be led from the stall to water to drink.

God defined servile work as trading, making money on the Sabbath or working with the intent to make money by producing goods to sell or working for harvest to sell, and these drew people away from God and from their Sabbath rest in Him, for we cannot serve both God and Mammon.

"Hear this, you who are swallowing up the needy, to cause to cease the poor of the land, saying, When doth the new moon pass, And we sell ground corn? And the sabbath and we open out pure corn?" Amos 8: 4,5

It is good to have a day of rest each week and we should ensure that we have one day set aside for entering into God's rest where we do His work, which is doing good, and serving him, enjoying being in His presence and delighting with others to do His will.

When we fast, Jesus did not say 'if ye fast' but 'when ye fast', we are humbling our souls before God, and we offer sacrifices to God, which are to set aside those other things which take our time and effort and mind and strength, and give these instead to God to worship Him, to do His work in obedience and reverence and joy.

"For kindness I desired, and not sacrifice, And a knowledge of God above burnt-offerings." Hosea 6:6

Jesus taught the true meaning of the command, "Observe the sabbath day - to sanctify it, as Jehovah thy God hath commanded thee" Deut 5:12

Remember the day of the Sabbath, to consecrate it. Six days thou shalt work and do all thy service: and the seventh day the Sabbath to Jehovah thy God..." Exodus 20: 8-11

"Which of you shall an ass or ox fall into a pit and he will not immediately draw it up on the sabbath-day?

"Then the Lord answered him and said, 'Hypocrite, doees not each of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall and lead them to water and this one, being a daughter of Abraham, who the Adversary bound, lo, eighteen years, did it not behove to be loosed from this ond on the sabbath-day?'

The ten commandments are to keep our hearts right, centred on love, to love the Lord our God with all our heart and mind and soul and strength, and our neighbour as ourselves.

"The sabbath for man was made and not man for the sabbath, so that the son of man is lord also of the sabbath" Mark 2:27,28.

These special days are to bring us back into closeness to God, to remember Him, to listen to Him, to be taught by Him, to get back on track with Him for the day, for the week, for the month and for the year ahead, a sweet fragrance to God.

But this is not to forget that every day we walk with God in close relationship to Him.

"These ye prepare to Jehovah in your appointed seasons, apart from your vows, your free-will offerings, for your burnt-offerings, and for your presents and for your libations and for your peace-offerings." Numbers 29:39