The Literal Commandment
It is to be a sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall humble your souls; on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until evening you shall keep your sabbath." (Leviticus 23:32)
The literal commandment is that the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:28) should be a sabbath of complete rest.
Messiah Says
Messiah implicitly affirmed this commandment when He spoke about the Law:
"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-19)
Pictures of Messiah
This commandment pictures our utter rest and cessation from our own efforts to somehow earn salvation by word or by deed. We rest in the Messiah Yeshua as our perfect Redeemer.
How Messiah Fulfilled
Messiah fulfilled this commandment by observing the Day of Atonement as a sabbath of complete rest.
Traditional Observance
Traditionally, this commandment is understood to refer to the weekly Sabbath although the context specifically references the Day of Atonement. A complete "rest" or "cessation" of prohibited labor is the traditional manner of fulfilling this commandment.
Other Notes
We are able to fulfill this commandment and should rest from prohibited labor on the Sabbath. This does not mean that non-Jews are required to take on the traditional Jewish stringencies regarding the Sabbath or the Day of the Atonement.
The context of this verse specifically references the Day of Atonement and the utter rest that is described here was used to illustrate the rest we should find in the weekly Sabbath. As it is written "It is to be a sabbath of complete rest to you."
In Western society and its Sunday-focused culture, it can be extremely difficult to rest from prohibited labor on the Sabbath.
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