Remember the Desperation

We've all heard the cliche, "Desperate times call for desperate measures." It's believed that Hippocrates, the Greek physician, coined the idea in relation to the treatment of serious disease. His belief was that a severe disease required equally severe treatment. The book of Ruth opens with a desperate situation. There is a famine in Judah. In Bethlehem, a man named Elimelech decides to uproot his family in search of relief from the famine. A desperate measure is carried out. On the surface it seems noble. What self-respecting man wouldn't take extreme measures to ensure his family survives? But do desperate times always call for desperate measures? One thing is for sure. Desperate circumstances are common in this world. A world that has never been more desperate for help than now. Let's consider this as we begin our series in Ruth: Advent of a Redeemer, with a challenge to "Remember the Desperation."