Blessings in the Scriptures

The revelations given throughout the Doctrine and Covenants are similar to today's patriarchal blessings. A patriarchal blessing is revelation from God given to a man called to be a patriarch that is intended for just one person. Many describe it as personal scriptures with individualized blessings and warnings. The warnings are not specific, you will not find a statement such as "avoid this party, if you go you will get in trouble." The blessings are not time bound and because Saints believe in eternal life after death, the blessings can extend to this time.

Revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants is similar to a patriarchal blessing in many ways. The first is that there are several revelations that are given to specific people. Although these revelations are very specific to the individuals who received them, they are published as general scripture because many of the principles, blessings, and warnings can help teach today's Saints.

Another similarity is the pattern of blessings and warnings. Throughout the Doctrine and Covenants, both blessings and warnings are given to the Saints at the time. The warnings given then are the same warnings that each individual can apply to their lives today. The warnings included avoiding pride, not being deceived by hypocrites, and to avoid slothfulness. The blessings found in most patriarchal blessings and found throughout the Doctrine and Covenants are what I refer to as "If/Then" blessings. This type of blessing states that the person it is intended for must remain faithful, keep the covenants of the church, live according to the commandments, or one of many other things. If the recipient of the blessing does what is specified, then they will be guaranteed to receive the blessing that is promised them.

There are two big differences between the Doctrine and Covenants revelations and patriarchal blessings. One is that patriarchal blessings give the lineage of the person who is receiving it. This lineage is a statement of which one of the twelve tribes of Israel the recipient is a descendant. The Doctrine and Covenants do not give this because most of the revelations are not specific to one person and because, even if the revelation is specific to one person, it is not helpful for today's saints to know the recipients lineage so it would not have been published. The other big difference is that most of the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants are intended for the church as a whole, or for a large number of people. This means that anyone can read them, learn from them, and study them extensively. Patriarchal blessings, because of their personal nature, are meant to be read only by the recipient and those who are close to them.