The fight don finish, and everywhere quiet for the place wey them de call Valley of Elah. King Saul de do meeting with some of e men as the afternoon breeze de blow the tent them for the camp. The senior pikin of Saul wey e name na Jonathan, dey the meeting, and one young shepherd dey happy as e de talk e story. The name of the young boy na David; e de use all e heart serve God and e get strong love. Saul listen to David well so that e no go miss anything from the things wey David de talk. But, how Jonathan feel? Jonathan don win plenty war for all the years wey e don de serve as soldier for Jehovah. But the war wey they win that day no be because of Jonathan. Na because of the young boy. David kill one giant wey e name na Goliath! You think say Jonathan start to jealous as people de praise David?

The thing wey Jonathan do fit surprise you. Bible tell us say: “As David just talk with Saul finish, Jonathan and David come be very tight friends, and Jonathan begin love David the way e love e self.” Jonathan dash David e own things wey e de use fight war, even e bow. The bow na really better gift because Jonathan really sabi use bow and arrow. Apart from that one, Jonathan and David make better agreement to always support each other. This agreement make them dey tight as friends.​—1 Samuel 18:1-5.

Na so one of the best friendship for Bible start. E dey important make we get better friend if we want get strong faith. If we choose our friends well and de always support them, we fit make the faith of each other strong for this hard time. (Proverbs 27:17) So make we see wetin we fit learn about friendship from Jonathan.

How the two of them just form friendship quick-quick? We go know the answer when we know wetin bring them together as friends. Make we learn some things about Jonathan. Things dey hard for Jonathan for sometime now. E papa King Saul don de change for some years now, and e character de bad more-more. Saul dey humble before, e get strong faith and e de obey Jehovah. But now, e dey proud and e no de obey Jehovah again.​—1 Samuel 15:17-19, 26.

The way Saul de change go don really worry Jonathan because e dey tight with e papa. (1 Samuel 20:2) Jonathan fit don de think about the kind trouble wey Saul go cause for the people wey Jehovah don choose. The way the king de behave fit make e people follow wrong road and make Jehovah sad, no be so? True-true, that time go don really hard for Jonathan because e de do wetin God like.

This things wey we don learn about Jonathan fit help us understand wetin draw Jonathan to young David. Jonathan see the kind strong faith wey David get. Remember say David no be like the other soldiers wey Saul get. David no fear Goliath even though say Goliath na giant. E believe say if Jehovah dey e back for the war, e go get power pass Goliath even as Goliath get different things to fight war.​—1 Samuel 17:45-47.

Some years before this time, Jonathan get the same mind like David. E dey sure say only him and one soldier go fit attack and win a whole camp of soldiers, and this soldiers get different things to fight war. Why Jonathan get that kind belief? E talk say, “Nothing fit stop Jehovah.” (1 Samuel 14:6) So na two things bring Jonathan and David together: (1) strong faith for Jehovah, and (2) strong love for Jehovah. Na this one be the best thing wey this two men fit use form strong friendship and cement-am. Jonathan na son of king and e don de reach 50 years; David na shepherd and maybe e dey around 20 years that time. But all this one no mean anything for the two of them. *

The agreement wey the two of them make really help them continue to be friend. How? Well, David know the thing wey Jehovah want make e be. Jehovah want make e be the next king for Israel. David hide-am from Jonathan? No! Better friendship like their own go fit grow when them de tell each other things, instead of to hide things or to lie. How you think say Jonathan go feel if e know say David go be king? What if Jonathan don de get-am for mind since say e go be king one day and correct all the bad things wey e papa don do? Bible no tell us say anything like that worry Jonathan for mind. Bible only tell us the important thing say Jonathan hold Jehovah tight and e faith strong. Jonathan see say the spirit of Jehovah dey with David. (1 Samuel 16:1, 11-13) So e do wetin e promise for the agreement and continue to see David as friend, instead of enemy. Jonathan want make the thing wey Jehovah get for mind happen.

The result of that friendship na big blessing. Wetin we fit learn from the faith wey Jonathan get? As servant of God, you go don see say e dey good to get friend. Our friends no need to be the same age with us or come from the same place with us. But they go really help us if they get strong faith. Jonathan and David support and encourage each other plenty times. And they go need that kind help because of wetin they go soon face as friends.

Before, Saul love David and e put David in charge of e army. But after some time, Saul start to get the bad character wey Jonathan protect e self from. This character na jealousy. David continue to win all the war wey e de fight with Philistine people, the enemies of Israel. So people begin like and praise David. Some women for Israel even sing say: “Saul don kill thousands, and David don kill tens of thousands.” Saul no like that song. Bible talk say: “From that day, Saul no stop to look David with one kind eye.” (1 Samuel 18:7, 9) Saul fear say David go try to take e place as king. Na foolish thing for Saul to think like that. Na true say David know say e go take over from Saul as king. But, e no ever think-am say e want take the place of person wey Jehovah don anoint when the person still de rule as king!

Saul make plan so that David go die for war, but e plan no work. People continue to love and respect David more and e continue to win war. The next thing wey Saul do na to bring all e servant and e senior pikin together so that they fit plan how to kill David! Jonathan go don really dey sad to see e papa de behave like that! (1 Samuel 18:25-30; 19:1) Na true say Jonathan no want leave e papa, but e still no want leave David. As the situation don be like that, who Jonathan go support?

Then Jonathan talk say: “Make the king no sin against e servant David, because e no sin against you and you don gain from wetin e don do for you. E put e life for danger to kill the Philistine, and Jehovah save all Israel people for wonderful way. You see-am, and you over glad. So why you want sin against person wey e hand dey clean? Why you want kill David for nothing?” Even as Saul de do anyhow before, this time, e listen to Jonathan and even promise say e no go do David anything. But Saul no do wetin e promise. After David don win more war, Saul start to really jealous David and de vex sotey e throw spear to kill David. (1 Samuel 19:4-6, 9, 10) But David dodge-am and run comot from the palace.

You don ever dey situation wey you confuse about who you want support for matter? E no dey easy at all. For that kind situation, some people go tell you say na family be number one. But Jonathan know say no be so e suppose to be. Why e go support e papa when David de support and obey Jehovah? So Jonathan decide well because e want support Jehovah. Na because of this one e defend David. But, even though say na God be the number one person wey Jonathan go support, e still show say e no leave e papa. How e show this one? E correct Saul; e no tell Saul wetin e want hear. Each of us go benefit ourself when we copy the way Jonathan show say e support Jehovah.

Jonathan try again to settle Saul and David but Saul no want hear anything. David hide go meet Jonathan and talk say e de fear for e own life. E tell Jonathan say: “Na small thing remain and I go die!” Jonathan agree to find out how e papa de feel about the matter and tell David. Jonathan go use bow and arrows send the news to David for the place wey David hide. Jonathan only tell David say make e swear say e go do the thing wey e promise. E say: “Make you no stop to show my family love, even when Jehovah remove all the enemies of David from the earth.” David agree say e go always care for and protect the family of Jonathan.​—1 Samuel 20:3, 13-27.

Jonathan try to tell Saul better things about David, but King Saul provoke! E call Jonathan “pikin wey stubborn woman born” and talk say Jonathan don bring shame to the family as e choose to support David. E try to talk wetin e feel say go sweet Jonathan. E say: “As long as the son of Jesse dey alive for this earth, you no go fit ever be king or get any kingdom.” But Jonathan no change e mind, instead e beg e papa again say: “Why e go die? E do anything?” This one make Saul over provoke sotey e want kill Jonathan. Even as e don old, na strong warrior e be. So e throw spear to kill e son! No matter how Saul sabi use spear, e miss this one. But Jonathan no happy at all, so e vex comot for the place.​—1 Samuel 20:​24-​34.

When morning reach the next day, Jonathan go outside the city near the place wey David hide. As the two of them don agree before, e shoot one arrow to make David know say Saul still want take e life. Then Jonathan send e servant go back to the city. When e dey alone with David, they get the chance to talk small. The two of them cry, and Jonathan tell e young friend bye-bye. David begin live like stranger from place to place.​—1 Samuel 20:​35-​42.

Even as things hard, Jonathan still show say e be better pikin and e no de think about only e self. Satan, the enemy of faithful people, for really like to see say Jonathan do like Saul. E for like make Jonathan de think only about e self and the things wey e go gain before e think about other people. Remember say Satan de like to do wetin go make us follow the bad things wey our body want. Adam and Eve, our first papa and mama, fall for e trap. (Genesis 3:1-6) But Jonathan jump-am pass. This one go don really pepper Satan for body! You go reject traps like that from Satan? We de live for time wey people for every corner de always like to think about only theirself. (2 Timothy 3:​1-5) Na fine character Jonathan get as e no think only about e self, instead e support good thing. Make we do like Jonathan.

Saul hate David sotey e de always think about how to do David bad. Saul start to behave like mad man more-more. E gather e army and lead them around the country de find how to kill just one person and the person dey innocent. But, Jonathan no fit do anything to help e papa. (1 Samuel 24:1, 2, 12-15; 26:20) Jonathan join e papa de find David? Bible no mention the name of Jonathan among the people wey Saul de carry around. Jonathan no fit do that kind thing because e support Jehovah and David, and e no want break the agreement wey e get with David.

The way Jonathan feel about e young friend never change. As time de go, e find way to see David again. They see for Horesh, wey the meaning na “Place of Plenty Wood.” Horesh dey for place wey bush and mountains dey, and e no too far from the southeast side of Hebron. David no get place to stay, so why Jonathan go risk e life go meet this kind person? Bible tell us say na to “encourage David to trust Jehovah.” (1 Samuel 23:16) How Jonathan do this one?

Jonathan tell e young friend say: “Make you no fear.” E still make this promise say: “Saul my papa no go catch you.” Wetin make Jonathan promise this kind thing? Na because Jonathan get strong faith say Jehovah go do everything wey e get for mind to do. Jonathan still talk say: “You go rule Israel as king.” Some years before this time, God don tell prophet Samuel make e talk this thing wey Jonathan talk. And so Jonathan de remind David say anything wey Jehovah talk de always happen. And wetin Jonathan think about e own future? E say: “I go dey second position.” Jonathan show say e really dey humble! E no feel bad to serve under the man wey e senior with 30 years; e support David! Then e talk say: “Saul my papa still know that one.” (1 Samuel 23:17, 18) Saul know for e mind say e no go fit win this man wey Jehovah don choose to be the next king!

Even after some years, David go de glad to remember that meeting. Na the last time wey the two of them see each other be that. But the sad thing na say, the hope wey Jonathan get to dey second position under David no happen.

Jonathan follow e papa go fight Philistine people. This people don show say they be enemies of Israel. Even as Jonathan de follow e papa go fight, e get good conscience because e de always put the service of Jehovah as number one, no matter the bad things wey e papa de do. As e de always do, e use all e heart fight the war, but things no go well for Israel people this time. Saul don do wicked things sotey e don put e hand for things about demons. And this one na big sin wey the Law of God condemn. So Jehovah no de bless Saul again. Three sons wey Saul get die for the war, and Jonathan dey among them. Saul injure for the war and e kill e self.​—1 Samuel 28:6-14; 31:2-6.

This thing pain David reach bone. Even though say Saul don cause plenty problem for David, e still cry for Saul. This one show say David na better person and e sabi forgive. David write song for Saul and Jonathan because of their death. Maybe the words wey fit touch person pass for the song, na the one about Jonathan e friend, the person wey e de get advice from. David sing say: “I de feel pain reach my bone because of you, my brother Jonathan; you dey very dear to me. Your love for me dey wonderful pass the love from women.”​—2 Samuel 1:26.

David no ever forget wetin e promise Jonathan. After many years, e look for the son of Jonathan wey be cripple. E name na Mephibosheth. David really care for Mephibosheth. (2 Samuel 9:1-13) This one make-am clear say, David don learn plenty things from the way Jonathan de support person, de show respect, and as e ready to help e friend even when things hard. We go learn this things too? We fit try get friends like Jonathan? We fit be that kind friend to people? If we help our friends to get faith for Jehovah and make their faith strong, if we support God before any other person, and if we know how to always help people before we think about wetin we go gain, then we go fit be the kind friend wey Jonathan be. And we go get the kind faith wey e get.