Ezekiel 20:10-12

There is two important things here that we see. First, the Sabbath is a special sign, a special sign of the covenant between God and His people. A sign is something that indicates or represents something. It can be a physical object, a gesture, even a natural event that provides information or warning. Signs can be used to convey meanings, show a condition, or indicate a future event for you and me. The Sabbath is a sign that conveys the message that we have been made special by our covenant that He has made with us.

It is important that we continually renew our faith in God. Remember that He is opening our hearts and our minds to the truth. And it is He that sanctifies us and gives us this special opportunity. And so the second thing that I see in this verse is that the Sabbath also facilitates our relationship and our understanding of our Creator. If we are going to know God, the Sabbath must be kept. Without knowing God, there is no eternal life. The Sabbath, then, is necessary to have eternal life.

Ezekiel 20:10-12

It is very clear to see that a major purpose of the Sabbath—apart from it being a sign—is so that we might know God. Eternal life! Remember what Jesus said in John 17:3. "Eternal life is to know God." If we are going to know God, the Sabbath must be kept. The implication is very clear. It ties the two of them together. Without knowing God, there is no eternal life. The Sabbath, then, is a necessary fixture in having eternal life.