First World Hannah Analysis

“The struggle is real,” is an urban saying describing, “A situation where the user wishes to express that they are encountering some sort of undesirable ‘first world’ problems” (Urban Dictionary). A first world problem is having to eat a hotdog on a sandwich bread. Unlike, our first world problems, there were also “Ancient World” problems. In the ancient world one of the biggest problem that a women faced was being infertile, unable to produce an offspring. This is the challenge that Hannah was facing. Three times in the story of Hanna we are informed that she is childless. In verse two it states that “Hannah had none” (children). In verse five and six it states that Hannah’s womb was close, meaning she was unable to produce a child. But, how does Hannah’s infertility present problems or difficulties? Hannah was married to Elkanah, who had another wife with children (verse 1 & 2). The first problem that Hannah faced was cultural shame. In the ancient world a women’s pride, blessing and joy was being able to produce child. Therefore, when a women was unable to bear a child, she was normally treated disrespectfully by …show more content…
In verse five it states that Elkanah would “provide a double portion of (meat) because he loved Hannah, and because the LORD closed her womb.” In verse, eight Elkanah reassures Hannah’s by identifying that their relationship is greater than the distress the amount of children she could provide. The story of Hannah is an example of the struggles and problems that we face. In her struggle, Hannah is reminded by her husband that she is loved and cared for, and that she be more important than what she is facing. Likewise, we are reminded that in relationship with God, we are loved and cared for by God. Although the struggle is real in our lives, God means much more to us that the struggles we are