Bananas vs. Peer Pressure

Object:

Students will learn to listen to God, and follow His words, and not the crowd’s.

Scripture:

1 Samuel 13:5-14

Materials:

• Table
• Bananas
• Blindfolds
• Bibles

Activity

• Announce that you need 3 students to do a banana-eating race/contest. Let them know that they’ll have the bananas in front of them, but they’ll be racing with blindfolds on.
• Once the 3 are picked out, have a helper take the rest of the students outside (different room) to explain to them what they’re going to be doing.
  • They will be the audience.  Their job is to cheer everybody (all 3 racers) on.  Now, let them know also what you’ll be doing, whereas no matter what, they will continue cheering on all 3 of them.
• Bring everybody back in, and begin the race.

Let the Race Begin!

As they’re stuffing their mouths full of bananas, the crowd is cheering everybody on.

• Go up to the person on the right, and quietly remove them from the race
  (Everybody should still be cheering them on though, as if they’re still in it).
• Now, do the same for the person on the left, to where there is only the 1 person left
  (but because he’s wearing the blindfold, he doesn’t know he’s the only one in the race).
  Remember, the crowd is still cheering on all 3 competitors, as if they’re all still racing.

When the last racer doesn’t have anything left, call the finish of the race, and tell them to remove their blindfolds. He’ll see he’s the only one up there.

As Questions like:

• Why’d you keep going? You were the only person up there.
• How do you feel?
• What’s going through your head right now?
• Would you have done anything different if you’d known you were the only one left?

Bible

Read 1 Samuel 13:5-14 together:
The Philistines mustered a mighty army of 3,000 chariots, 6,000 charioteers, and as many warriors as the grains of sand on the seashore! They camped at Micmash east of Beth-aven. The men of Israel saw what a tight spot they were in; and because they were hard pressed by the enemy, they tried to hide in caves, thickets, rocks, holes, and cisterns. Some of them crossed the Jordan River and escaped into the land of Gad and Gilead.
Meanwhile, Saul stayed at Gilgal, and his men were trembling with fear. Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. So he demanded, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself.
Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him, but Samuel said, “What is this you have done?”
Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the Lord’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.”
“How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”

Explain to them that King Saul was struggling with deciding on whether to do what Samuel had instructed him to do, or what he felt was right to do, based on how he perceived things.

• Ask the students if they ever deal with such difficulties.
• Ask if their friends ever try to pressure them into doing something they know’s not right?
• What do they do in that situation.
• Why is it often so difficult to decide on what to do?
• How can they hear God’s voice better, especially in such situations?

Have them pray in groups, for each other, asking God to help them hear Him over the voices of the crowds and how they perceive a situation, and to obey Him instead.