Ezek 36:25 Sprinkle

Catholics and Protestants who accept sprinkling for baptism almost always fall back on Ezekiel 36:25 as proof of sprinkling for baptism. They also bring up Numbers 19 which was a Jewish washing. Leviticus 14 would be another reference to sprinkling. In Numbers and Leviticus sprinkling of a priestly mixture of water and ashes is first, and then bathing. So sprinkling and washing are listed seperately. They sprinkle one but bathe or wash after. Thus, if the old testament was a shadow, sprinkling wouldn't cleanse without washing after. 

Ezekiel 36:25 is different in that washing is not mentioned.

Notice it is when Israel will be brought into their own land. Probably a reference Babylonian return.

Eze 36:24 ...will bring you into your own land

Eze 36:25  Then will I sprinkleH2236 cleanH2889 waterH4325 uponH5921 you, and ye shall be clean:H2891 from allH4480 H3605 your filthiness,H2932 and from allH4480 H3605 your idols,H1544 will I cleanseH2891 you. 

Perhaps cleansed by the Priests after their return.

Hebrews has the word sprinkled connected to sprinkling the heart. So sprinkling can be used of something other than baptism. See Hebrews 10:22 where hearts are sprinkled from an evil conscience. The word sprinkle is only mentioned three times in the New Testament, twice referencing the law of Moses and once speaking of the heart. It wouldn't sprinkle an infant's conscience since babies don't have an evil conscience yet. The word sprinkling occurs four times, never of baptism.

The problem is that Ezekiel 36:25 seems to be speaking of the Days Israel would return from Babylon. It lines up with the days of Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. Once the temple was rebuilt they could continue the sacrifices of the law. Of course, from the return forward is when Christ came so it could be New Testament times as well. It seems more likely the days of Nehemiah.

Neither John's baptism nor Christian baptism were given in the return of Ezra or Nehemiah. So if speaking of Christian baptism no one was cleansed until Christ. Men like Ezra and Nehemiah would be excluded. They couldn't have been cleansed. That wouldn't fit the context.

It says God would sprinkle and not man, baptism is done by man.

Many believe it is figurative language about the sacrifices being mixed with water and sprinkled on the people. God perhaps could do this cleansing himself without human priests. Others see it as the Holy Spirit cleansing Israel before their return from Babylon by changing their thinking. Either explanation could be possible. We know that Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah likely had the Holy Spirit purifying their hearts and minds. Daniel certainly interpreted dreams with God's help.

One possible theory is that sprinkling is teaching God's word. Acts 15 has the idea of purifying hearts by faith, which involves God's word, the Gospel. God would sprinkle the people with his word. 

Anyway, the context is the return of Israel from Babylon as described in Ezra and Nehemiah. They were given understanding, given a new heart, given a new spirit, confessed their sins, and their hearts were delivered from Idolatry.

The cleansing is also said to be the day God would return them to the land. This occurred 490 years before John's baptism was preached in the New Testament.

Eze 36:33  ThusH3541 saithH559 the LordH136 GOD;H3069 In the dayH3117 that I shall have cleansedH2891 you from allH4480 H3605 your iniquitiesH5771 I will also cause you to dwellH3427 (H853) in the cities,H5892 and the wastesH2723 shall be builded.H1129 

It is speaking of the days of their return to the land when they would rebuild. As time went by Israel again fell into disbelief and in 70 AD instead of returning to the land they were removed. Thus, New Testament days saw the destruction instead of rebuilding the physical cities of the land.

Ezekiel 43:18 describes the alter that would be officiated by the seed of Zadok. So Ezekiel has as its background a continuation of the law after Israel's return. Ezekiel does have messianic prophecies, but much has to do with Israel's return.

Thus, the days of Ezra and Nehemiah fit best. God sprinkling would have as context Israel.

I do believe faithful Christians can live in the land, God has no reason to remove them. Of course we have access to the entire world. God has given us the right to live anywhere. Their own land, however, seems to reference Israel.

If referring to baptism, the Apostles or Christ or the early church could have quoted it in the New Testament, but they didn't. That usage has no support except as a Catholic theory. It is likely referring to an earlier era and is figurative language of teaching and purifying faith. 

The sprinkling of God can be the teaching of the law or the teaching of the Gospel, whichever covenant is referenced at the time. In Nehemiah's day it was rebuilding the cities and keeping the law. In Christ's day it was the Gospel.

It can be theorized that in sprinkling based on God's command, even though man sprinkled, it could be said God sprinkled you, but that is less certain. Plus that could be used for Israel's priests sprinkling as well. Catholics don't have great support for the theory. Plus, that analogy could be sprinkling for baptism or sprinkling by teaching. God would be sprinkling by teaching even if men did the teaching.

Even sprinkling of Christ's blood is figurative for the application of Christ's blood. It isn't physically sprinkled on every Christian, but applied spiritually in my estimation. We are viewed as if we all stood under the cross I suppose, but most weren't alive yet.

Isa 52:15 mentions sprinkling many nations, they would see and understand. So God's sprinkling is a better reference for educating nations vs sprinkling uneducated infants. Even if baptism was by sprinkling, education would be necessary. It wouldn't apply to infants.

The phrase "sprinkle many nations" isn't translated such in every english version and is not in all manuscripts, but it is in some like the KJV.  It is translated startle or astonish but the word does mean sprinkle. The KJV translators saw it as sprinkling nations with doctrine so they would come to understanding.

As in Matthew "those who sat in darkness saw a great light".

Sprinkling can be speaking of spreading truth or God's word upon the people. Isaiah 63:3 uses sprinkling as blood splatter. So it implies spreading from a source.