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To: shield
Ruth was an Israelite

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God."

Kind of an odd thing for an Israelite, who already shared a people and a God with Naomi, to say. But perfectly logical for a Moabite woman. It was her announcement of conversion.

The Bible has nothing at all that indicates in its text that Ruth wasn't a "real" Moabite. It just says she was a Moabite. Where do you get your information

.so was Rahab. Rahab was also an inn keeper not a harlot.

I'll give you the not harlot bit, although the Hebrew is at best ambiguous.

But what exactly was an Israelite woman doing running an inn in a Canaanite city when the Israelites had just come out of the desert.

There is also the fairly obvious fact that Joshua made a specific exception for Rahab's entire family from being destroyed. Would seem less necessary for him to do so it they had been Israelites rather than Canaanites. Also seems like he would have mentioned such a striking fact in his proclamation. Like, "Don't kill the people in Rahab's house, they're all Israelites."

The Bible doesn't allow much justification of ethnic pride. For instance, Moses' wife was a Cushite, which probably means what we would call black.

Moses' wife Miriam got racist about this, and God struck her with leprosy as a punishment. God apparently doesn't approve of racism, even by his chosen people.

Also, during the Exodus "a great mixed company" accompanied the children of Israel. When they entered the Promised Land there is no mention of them. The obvious conclusion is they were fully assimilated during the 40 years in the desert.

106 posted on 05/17/2011 1:12:12 PM PDT by Sherman Logan
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To: Sherman Logan

You happen to have it wrong especially on Miriam and Moses’ wife. Miriam did have the wrong attitude but not for the reason you think you know. There were important reasons for Jesus to have been born through a pure line of Israelites...and your deduction on Ruth blows that aspect apart.


107 posted on 05/17/2011 1:35:00 PM PDT by shield (Rev2:9 "Woe unto those who say they are Judah and are not, but are of the synaGOGue of Satan.")
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