Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.'”
Exodus 31:16-17 ESV
http://bible.com/59/exo.31.16-17.ESV
natsab 
The Hebrew word used here is H5769 … olam. While I would agree with you that the Sabbath is still for us, as people of Israel, there are places in the Scripture where “forever” can not logically mean “forever”. One example would be from Exodus 21:6 says, “his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door or to the door-post. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall serve him forever.” Here, forever can not mean forever.
This same word is used hundreds of times in the Tanach. Some of the uses deal with Aaron and his sons and their service in the tabernacle/temple, and it is obvious that some of those things have not been “forever”. I would be of a mindset that we should keep those “forever” things that we are able to keep. But we better have more to go on when a well meaning Christian brother says “If these things were supposed to be literally forever … and they are not … how can you say that all these other things (for example, Sabbath) are forever?”
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Tom,
Shabbat Shalom.
Not to be argumentative, but why would those two examples you give not be ‘forever?’ We do not fully know eternal relationships. Who is to say that in the olam, there is not an ongoing relationship forged at the doorpost? It is so with my Master.
Further, with Aharon and sons, just because the tabernacle does not currently exist does not mean they no longer have the forever duties… they just cannot currently exercise them. Prophecy promises they will again fulfill those duties. Ez. 43-44.
We err, I have been guilty of this, when we interpret Scripture with the myopia of present time and circumstances. I propose that olam means olam, even in places we do not fully understand it. The Father will sort it out, we just walk as much as we can see/understand trusting Him…
Blessings.
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