By Lane Thuet
The patriarchal age in the Bible lasted from 2086 to 1871 BC. It included Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Jacob's 12 sons (Ungers Bible Dictionary, pg. 967). One of the things associated with this period is the patriarchal blessing, given by these fathers to their children.
The LDS Church, which claims to be a restored version of the original church as set up by Christ, has also "restored" the practice of giving patriarchal blessings to its members. But is it truly a restoration of what the Bible teaches? Let's take a look.
To answer this question, we must first know what a patriarch is. The word patriarch is a combination of two Greek words - pater, meaning father; and arches, meaning beginning or origin (NAS Concordance, pp. 1674 and 1636). A patriarch, then, is the father who stands at the beginning of a family. This is exactly how it is used in the New Testament. It refers to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob's 12 sons - the first fathers, or origin of the Nation of Israel. The only other person called a patriarch in the Bible is King David (Acts 2:29), who was the first father of the line of godly kings destined to sit on the throne over Israel.
Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of Mormonism, instituted the office of Patriarch in the LDS Church with his father Joseph Smith. Only one man had this office in the church at any time. As the church progressed, however, a lesser patriarchal office was created that included more and more men from each local area as the church grew. Today, there are around 2000 patriarchs - one for every Stake (region) in the LDS Church. One of the main duties of each regional patriarch is to give patriarchal blessings to the members of the LDS Church. The only difference between the two offices of patriarch is that the regional patriarchs are chosen without respect to their lineage, while the higher office of patriarch must be from the bloodline of Joseph Smith. The original office of Patriarch to the Church has only been held by six men since Joseph Smith, Sr., and has not been filled since Oct. 6, 1979 (Deseret News, 1997-1998; Church Almanac, p. 56).
In the Bible, the patriarchal custom was for the father to impart a blessing on his sons shortly before his death. These blessings were highly prophetic in nature and foretold the destiny of the child as well as the family line that would come through that child. The father usually reserved the most favorable blessing for the eldest son. Jacob, who was the second son of Isaac, tricked his father into giving him the blessing that was intended for his brother, Esau (Gen. 27:1-29). When Esau then asked for his own blessing afterward, it was not as favorable as the blessing Jacob received. In fact, it was more like a curse than a blessing (Gen. 27:30-40). Nevertheless, both blessings were literally fulfilled. Jacob blessed his sons as well as Joseph's sons on his deathbed. These blessings not only foretold the future of each tribe but also exposed hidden sins the children were guilty of (Gen. 49:3-4). Each of these blessings were literally fulfilled in the lives and tribes of each son. David also spoke to his son, Solomon, on his deathbed, but this was more in the way of a warning and a charge than it was a blessing.
Patriarchal blessings in the LDS Church, however, are very different. To begin with, the blessing is not given on the patriarch's deathbed. Also, those who receive the blessings are almost never related to the Patriarch in any way. There are two main purposes to the Patriarchal Blessing in the LDS Church. The first is to provide an 'incentive' for the member to live according to LDS Gospel principles. The second is to declare lineage. The leaders of the LDS Church have consistently taught that members of their church are literally descendants of Israel (Mormon Doctrine pp. 389-390; Doctrines of Salvation 2:250-251; Journal of Discourses 2:268-269; A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, pp. 230-234; Doctrine and Covenants 64:34-36, 133:26-32). The patriarchal blessing reveals to its recipient which tribe they belong to - although it is nearly always identified as the Tribe of Ephraim.
The 10th President of the LDS Church, Joseph Fielding Smith, said, "A blessing given by a Patriarch is intended to point out the path which the recipient should travel. It should be given by the spirit of revelation and should be a great comfort and incentive to the recipient to continue on in faithfulness to the end. The Patriarch also holds the key by which the lineage of those whom he blesses may be made known." (Doctrines of Salvation 3:170).
You can readily see the difference between the patriarchal blessings given in the Bible and those given in the LDS Church. First, in the Bible the recipient's father gave it. That is rarely true in Mormonism. Second, no lineage was given during the blessings in the Bible for they already knew what tribe they belonged to. Third, while some of the blessings in the Bible provided comfort, they didn't always - such as the case of Esau (Gen. 29:38-40) or Reuben (Gen. 49:3-4). The greatest difference, however, lies in the fact that the blessings given in the Bible all came true regardless of the actions of the recipient. In the Mormon Church, however, all prophetic blessings given are only said to be guaranteed if the recipient remains faithful to the LDS Church. Any blessing given which fails to come true, then, is blamed on a lack of faithfulness. This provides the 'insurance policy' for the myriad of blessings that have never come to pass. Regarding recipients of patriarchal blessings, Joseph Fielding Smith said that they "…may, if they prove faithful, enjoy whatever is pronounced upon (them)…" He goes on to say that, "To gain such blessings, however, all the ordinances and covenants belonging to the Gospel and to exaltation must by them be received." (Doctrines of Salvation 3:170, emphasis mine).
My own patriarchal blessing, given on May 2, 1983, promised me many blessings that never came true. However, the last paragraph states that these blessings are "possible," but that I must "work for its attainment" (Patriarchal Blessing of Lane Alan Thuet, given by Reed D. Andrew, blessing number 2081, pg. 3). In such cases, the patriarch is let off the hook for prophecies that are obviously not given by revelation from God.
Sometimes, these blessings even contradict other revelations given in the LDS Church. My own blessing provides one of these examples. My patriarchal blessing, given under the 'inspiration' of God, states very clearly that I am a direct descendant of Ephraim. However, since I ended up leaving the LDS Church, I am now considered one of the "rebellious" against God. According to Doctrine and Covenants 64:34-36, a 'revelation' from God to Joseph Smith, none of the rebellious are of the bloodline of Ephraim. So which one is correct? The blessing under 'inspiration' of God that says I am, or the 'revelation' of God that says I cannot possibly be?
Is this a true restoration? Not in any sense. The New Testament church set up by Christ never had any patriarchs. Those of the Old Testament are vastly different from those in the LDS Church today. The blessings are not alike, either. In addition to this, and in spite of the LDS leaders' teachings that all Mormons are true descendants of Israel, the fact remains that the vast majorities are not. Their attempt to claim Jewish lineage in the patriarchal blessings is nothing more than a sad hoax. In fact, it is because of controversy over this matter that the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (RLDS), based in Independence, Mo., has discouraged declaring Jewish lineage in their blessings (Part Way to Utah, Paul Trask, pg. 44).
Like nearly everything else that Joseph Smith claimed to 'restore' to the earth, patriarchs and patriarchal blessings in his church do not line up with what has been clearly revealed in the Bible. Many Mormons place great emphasis and hope on the promises they are given in these blessings. When the promises fail to materialize, it could cause these people to lose their faith and hope in God altogether. Such feelings could be avoided if they would just follow the admonition of the Apostle Paul when he commanded us to, "Prove all things. Hold fast to that which is good." (1 Thess. 5:21).
As Christians we do not need to gain direction or promises from any formal 'blessing'. We get our direction from Scripture, which is also where we have our promises from God. Like the patriarchal blessings of old, the promises we have are not dependent on anything we do but are wholly dependent upon God for completion. It is for this reason that we can stand assured that all of what God has promised will come to pass. As Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:13, even "If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for he cannot deny Himself."