Often, you would hear some Christians say in prayer, “I sprinkle/plead the blood of Jesus over . . .” If you have traveled in commercial buses while commuting between two states or countries, you may have likely heard such statements made by a preacher who wants to spiritually secure the journey for everyone in the business.
But here is what I want you to understand. Such communication in prayer is alien to the New Covenant. Not even the Old Covenant saints prayed that way.
The Priest literally applied the blood of sprinkling to temple worship; but for the New Covenant saints who have the real experience of the blood sprinkling, we must understand the reality of the blood of sprinkling and our use of it in our everyday living.
Here is a scripture that identifies the blood of sprinkling as a feature in the New Covenant.
“And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.”
— Hebrews 12:24 (KJV)
To understand what the blood of sprinkling means, we must refer to the Old Covenant and observe how the Levitical Priesthood operated the blood of sprinkling, and through the inspiration of the Spirit of God, understand the New Covenant meaning of the blood of sprinkling and its application.
Exodus 24 (KJV)
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⁶ And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
⁷ And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.
⁸ And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.
“And he shall lay his hand upon the head of it, and kill it before the tabernacle of the congregation: and the sons of Aaron shall sprinkle the blood thereof upon the altar round about.”
— Leviticus 3:13 (KJV)
“For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:”
— Hebrews 9:13 (KJV)
In the Levitical ordinance, we see the blood of sprinkling feature in the atonement of the sins of the children of Israel; which atonement is temporary and a shadow of the true and lasting atonement done by Jesus Christ.
Before we examine the correlation between the blood of sprinkling in the Old Covenant and the blood of sprinkling in the New Covenant, let us understand from the scripture, what the blood of Jesus means.
According to the Levitical Ordinance, blood represents life.
“For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.”
— Leviticus 17:14 (KJV)
The blood of bulls was a shadow of the blood of Jesus.
So, the blood of Jesus means the life of Jesus.
With this understanding, you know that what should come to mind when the blood of Jesus is mentioned is the life of Jesus and not the liquid blood of Jesus.
Quite funny, a preacher, while praying in a bus was applying the blood of Jesus to the windscreen, brakes, and the eyes of the driver. You can tell that his understanding of the blood of Jesus is a spiritual liquid blood of Jesus that flows once called upon.
Back to our understanding of the correlation between the blood of sprinkling in the Old Covenant and the blood of sprinkling in the New Covenant.
The blood of sprinkling in the Old Covenant was applied in atoning for the sins of the Children of Israel by the Priest dipping a sponge into the blood and sprinkling it upon the altar roundabout and upon the people.
In the New Covenant, the blood of sprinkling was applied in the atonement of the sins of the whole world through the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ; and it is to this day being applied through the preaching of the gospel by Christians.
The sprinkling of the blood of Jesus is what we do in the preaching of the gospel to men.
The life of Jesus is in the gospel. The application of that life is in the preaching of the gospel to the end that the hearts of men will be sprinkled from an evil conscience and their flesh (faculties of their soul) washed with the pure word of God which is the gospel.
“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”
— Hebrews 10:22 (KJV)
See how the writer of the Book of Hebrews associates speaking with the blood of sprinkling.
“And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.”
— Hebrews 12:24 (KJV)
In the New Covenant, the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus is the speaking of the life of Jesus which is in the preaching of the gospel.
Another application of the blood of sprinkling in the New Covenant is in commanding blessings upon whatever we want a blessing to rest upon.
The blessings we command sanctify whatever it is commanded over. It separates that person or thing from that which is opposite to the blessing.
In the Old Covenant, items were sanctified through the blood of sprinkling.
“Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.”
— Hebrews 9:21 (KJV)
So, when we speak a blessing over our lives, or the lives of other people or over a thing, we must know that we are speaking from the life of Jesus that we have and that is an application of the blood of sprinkling.
When Christians say in prayer, “I sprinkle the blood of Jesus over my . . .,” they have achieved nothing in the realm of the spirit or in the realm of earth.
Such communication is alien to the New Covenant.
When we embrace the New Testament understanding of the blood of sprinkling, we will communicate intelligently as it relates to the blood of sprinkling.
If you want to sprinkle the blood of Jesus, go out and preach the gospel to sinners.
If you want to sprinkle the blood of Jesus, command a blessing over whatever you desire a blessing upon.
When we preach the gospel, it is the life of Jesus we are communicating to men.
When we command a blessing, it is a reality of the life of Jesus we are communicating.
God has blessed you.
Apostle Destiny Kingston