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Question

 

Dear Gramps,

My Patriarchal Blessing says I will receive my inherited blessings through Israel directly. And that I now have access to the blessings that Heavenly Father gave to father Abraham. I don’t understand.  Also what are the blessings from Abraham and Jacob?

Marion

 

 

Answer

 

Dear Marion,

The blessing you received under the hands of a modern patriarch links you directly to the ancient Patriarchs of the Old Testament. These old “fathers”, from Adam down to Israel, renewed the old cycle of passing down priesthood and blessings to a new generation. Even Israel’s 12 sons are sometimes lumped in with the Patriarchs (you may know them better as the twelve tribes). When it comes to the cast of Patriarchs, the big three that you find grouped together (and are probably mentioned in your patriarchal blessing) are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel).

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob set the pattern for passing on blessings and renewing covenants. The Abrahamic covenant is named for the father of nations, but it was explicitly renewed with his son and grandson. Your patriarch has revealed that you are an heir of these blessings and this covenant because you are a descendant of Israel. President Faust shared:

“The house of Israel, in the original sense, meant the literal blood descendants of the house of Jacob. The Lord said to Abraham, ‘I give unto thee a promise that this right [meaning the right to receive the gospel and the priesthood] shall continue in thee, and in thy seed after thee’ (Abr. 2:11). By seed we mean the heirs of the body. In our time the Lord has said, ‘Thus saith the Lord unto you, with whom the priesthood hath continued through the lineage of your fathers

 

“’For ye are lawful heirs, according to the flesh, …

 

“’Therefore, your life and priesthood have remained, and must needs remain through you and your lineage’ (D&C 86:8–10).” (“Your Patriarchal Blessing“, Nov. 2005, The New Era).

The reason why your direct descent from Israel is called out (and I must admit to some guesswork here since I haven’t read your blessing), is because there are some who are adopted into the promised covenant. And now I would admonish you to read the specific blessing of your tribe as revealed in the scriptures. All of Israel’s children has a great mission tasked to him, whether he is JudahBenjaminEphraim,Manasseh, or one of the others. Read his blessings, as well as those given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as though they were your own – for you are an heir.

 

Gramps

 

 

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