Connect Ezekiel 20:20 with Exodus 20:8-11 on Sabbath observance. The Sabbath in the Ten Words “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them; but on the seventh day He rested. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.” • “Remember”—calls for deliberate, weekly mindfulness. • “Keep it holy”—time set apart exclusively for God. • Rooted in creation (Genesis 2:2-3); therefore universal. • Covers every member of the household, even animals and guests. Ezekiel 20:20—The Sabbath as Covenant Sign “Keep My Sabbaths holy, and they will be a sign between Me and you, so that you may know that I am the LORD your God.” • Identical charge: “keep…holy.” • Functions as an outward “sign” of belonging to God. • Purpose clause: cultivates experiential knowledge of the LORD. Key Connections • Holiness: both passages stress sacred separation of one day in seven. • Identity: Sabbath marks God’s people before the watching world. • Memory: Exodus looks back to creation; Ezekiel calls Israel to remember covenant relationship. • Imitation: God’s own rest is pattern and promise (Exodus 31:17; Hebrews 4:9-10). From Command to Sign 1. Sinai gives the moral command (Exodus 20). 2. Israel’s neglect exposes covenant unfaithfulness (Ezekiel 20:13, 16). 3. Ezekiel reemphasizes Sabbath as public testimony of loyalty. 4. Obedience becomes gospel witness: the resting people declare their God. Practical Implications Today • Creation order means the rhythm still applies to humanity. • Rest declares trust that God—not labor—sustains life (Exodus 16:22-30). • Covenant community gathers for worship and fellowship (Leviticus 23:3; Acts 20:7). • Delighting in the day, not mere abstention, honors the Lord (Isaiah 58:13-14). • Christ, “Lord of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27-28), fulfills its meaning without canceling its blessing. Additional Scriptural Support • Exodus 31:13—“My Sabbaths are a sign between Me and you for the generations to come.” • Deuteronomy 5:12-15—adds redemption from Egypt to Sabbath symbolism. • Colossians 2:16-17—shadows point to Christ yet still instruct. • Revelation 1:10—believers gather on “the Lord’s Day,” showing continuity of sacred time. Takeaway Exodus 20 establishes the Sabbath as a creation-rooted command; Ezekiel 20 underscores it as an identity-shaping sign. Observing the Sabbath in faith sets apart a people who weekly proclaim, “The LORD is our God.” |
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