Blessings

The most important aspect of our patriarchal lineage is that it ties us to the covenant made between God and Abraham. Whether his children directly through bloodline or through adoption, we are heirs to both the blessings and responsibilities of the Abrahamic covenant. S. Michael Wilcox covered this topic in detail in the January 1998 Ensign in his article “The Abrahamic Covenant“. It is important that we study this promise and its attendant responsibilities so that we can know what is and will be required of us.

Each tribe is named after one of the sons of Jacob, and carries with it certain primary duties. We will be expected to fulfill the duties of our tribe both in this life and the next. Most of us will be named as members of the tribe of Ephraim, as it is the primary responsibility of this tribe to spread the word of God through missionary work and service that it might be heard by all people throughout the earth. Members of other tribes, however, hold different roles and responsibilities.

The blessings do follow our bloodlines, but we each have many different bloodlines running within us. Our patriarchal blessing names the predominant bloodline to which each individual will be held accountable, and so it is not uncommon for members of the same family to be declared of different tribal lineages. The naming of tribes other than Ephraim has been rare, but is becoming more common as the word is spread abroad, more people are coming into the fold, and more Priesthood duties are becoming necessary to be fulfilled.

President James E Faust has shared some excellent insights about patriarchal blessings. 

“Since families are of mixed lineage, it occasionally happens that members of the same family have blessings declaring them to be of different lineage. There has been an intermixture of the tribes one with another. One child may be of Ephraim, another in the same family of Manasseh, Judah, or one of the other tribes. The blood of one tribe, therefore, may be dominant in one child and the blood of another tribe dominant in another child, so children from the same parents could belong to different tribes.”

Like Ephraim’s descendants, the tribe of Manasseh is heir to all the blessings and obligations given to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. A study of those patriarchs will show that regardless of which tribe you fall in, your blessing is bounteous. Studying Manasseh specifically, you will find that he is often mentioned in company with his brother Ephraim. Even centuries later, he is still mentioned alongside his sibling. The latter day duty of Manasseh is probably best described by Moses as he blessed the tribe of Joseph: “[Joseph’s] glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.” (Deuteronomy 33:17, see 13-17).

Along with Ephraim, Manasseh is responsible to gather the other tribes. Ephraim is to head up this great work, but Manasseh is to roll up his sleeves and be there at his side. As Manasseh does this, he will reap the blessing of the patriarchs with visible results. This grand outpouring of bounty is a sign of the times. The children of Lehi (a famous Manassehite) will prosper as proof that the Lord is speeding His coming. “But before the great day of the Lord shall come, Jacob shall flourish in the wilderness, and the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose” (D&C 49:24).

Now, the tribe of Judah has many revelations specifically tied to it. Most of them concern their gathering in Jerusalem before the Savior returns and the building up of their temple. All the tribes will be gathered during the Millennium and will eventually then return to their individual lands of inheritance. Ephraim and Judah, specifically, are to be joined and Zion and Jerusalem are to be capitals of the world when the Savior comes to rule and reign. While the primary responsibilities of Ephraim are to spread the gospel, the primary responsibilities of Judah are to maintain and keep the records. It was also promised specifically to Judah that he would be a ruler and overcome his enemies-

“Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.

Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” (Genesis 49:8-10)

study the writings of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Jeremiah, and Zechariah. These prophets wrote many things concerning the last days, the gathering of Israel.