When I was a little kid I would read certain Bible stories instead of listening to the sermon in church. The Book of Ruth was always one of my favorites. Reading it again for the first time in years, I'm struck by the style the story was written in. It reminds me of a folktale-
Ruth 3:7-8"When Boaz had eaten and drunk, he felt at peace with the world and went and lay down to sleep at the far end of the heap of grain. Ruth came quietly, turned back the covering at his feet and lay down. About midnight the man woke with a start; he turned over, and there, lying at his feet, was a woman!"
The exclamation mark just makes it for me. It's no wonder I was drawn to it as a kid; the sentences are simple and the style is light and entertaining. Furthermore, it has none of those disturbing aspects (at least none that spring immediately to my mind) like most of the other things we've discussed- Sarai as a sister instead of a wife, Miriam's blight, etc. Anyway, those are my thoughts...
Kathryn
