I'll post to you. I did notice that you did not respond to the scriptural evidence put forth by diego. Let me reproduce it here: BEGIN DIEGO POST So....you believe that God was just kidding when He said this:[Deuteronomy 23:3] An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever: (1500 B.C.) And, if so....you also believe He was just kidding when He said this: [Ezra 9:1] Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations,(emphasis added) even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. (500 B.C.) And if you believe God was just joking around, having the Holy Spirit play games with Moses and Ezra, I'm sure you have no difficulty in believing that Nehemiah was just garbage in/garbage out also: [Nehemiah 13:23-26] In those days also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, and of Moab: And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people. And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves. Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin.(emphasis added) (500 B.C.) YEAH.........Let's not forget Solomon: [I Kings 11:1-2] But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites: Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods:(emphasis added) Solomon clave unto these in love. (950 B.C.) So.....Solomon was committing a sin by having relationships with Moabite women.....but it was O.K. for Boaz (300 years earlier) to go ahead and marry one. It was still an abomination to God for His children to marry Moabite women 1000 years after the Deuteronomy command as they returned from their Babylonian captivity [Ezra and Nehemiah], but as far as you are concerned this is all poppycock. END DIEGO POST So how did you answer this?
And it is clear that your reading abilities are as poor as the rest of the B.I. defenders.
I did in fact, respond to what Diego stated.
You will note that the issue in those posts regarding foreign women is that they kept their own gods, and thus, turned the men of Israel away from the true God.
Hence, those passages do not support the view that no marriage to foreign woman was allowed, only those who rejected the true God of Israel.
When I posted back to Diego, I made that same point, highlighting those words in those passages that emphasize the fact of bringing abmoninations into the land of Israel.
Now, Joseph married an Egyptian woman as well, did he not?
Why was it alright for him to do so and not Boaz?
You guys are very selective in your verse selection.
So, rather then understanding the fact that it was the issue of foreign women who rejected the God of Israel that was the issue and not foreign women per se, you and Diego would rather misread what Ruth clearly says by going through verbal gymnastics.
As for the forbidding of any Moabite in the Congregation, I did cite a commentary (JFB) that stated that many theologicans believe that prohibtion refers to only men(Moabites) and not women.
So, go back and actually read what I wrote.
The B.I. views on the subject are shortsighted which come from not reading what those passages are saying about why foreign women were forbidden.
By receiving the God of Israel, Ruth became part of the Hebrew Covenant as well, and that is why she is in the genealogy of the Lord.
I'm only sure about my reading abilities. They're not perfect, but I wouldn't classify them as "poor".
You will note that the issue in those posts regarding foreign women is that they kept their own gods, and thus, turned the men of Israel away from the true God.
Maybe, but according to the bible God forbid Moabites for no such reason, but for another:
Deu 23:3 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD forever:
Deu 23:4 Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.
Now, Joseph married an Egyptian woman as well, did he not? Why was it alright for him to do so and not Boaz?
God didn't forbid Egyptians. Just the opposite:
Deu 23:7 Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.
So, rather then understanding the fact that it was the issue of foreign women who rejected the God of Israel that was the issue and not foreign women per se, you and Diego would rather misread what Ruth clearly says by going through verbal gymnastics.
Only according to you. You have no point, biblically.