Imagine say one group of soldiers de see dry land with rocks from the place wey they position theirself. This group of Philistine soldiers get interest for something wey they see from ontop the mountain wey they stand. Wetin be that? They see two men from Israel. This men stand for the other side of the mountain. This thing wey the soldiers see dey funny to them because they no see any danger from the two men. Philistine people don de control Israel people for long time. That time, before Israel people go even fit sharp their farm tools, them de go meet Philistine people for help and this people na their enemies. So if na things to fight war you want talk about, soldiers for Israel no get better one. Apart from that one, this men na only two men! Even if they get better things or instrument to fight war, they go fit do anything? So the Philistine soldiers begin look them like nothing and talk say: “Make wuna come meet us. We go take wuna eye see something!”​—1 Samuel 13:19-23; 14:11, 12.

Na true, they go see something. But who? Na the Philistine soldiers go see something. The two men from Israel begin run go down, they cross the place wey the mountain for divide, and they start to climb the side of the mountain wey they face. But the mountain really bend go up sotey they use their hand and leg de climb. They no stop, they continue to struggle de climb and go straight to the place wey the Philistine soldiers gather! (1 Samuel 14:13) Na now the Philistine soldiers see clear say, among the two men, the one for front get wetin e want use fight; e armor-bearer (person wey de help to carry things wey them de use fight war) dey e back. But wait o! Na only one person the man for front carry to come fight a whole group of soldiers? Knot loose for e head?

No, nothing de worry e head. The thing na say, this man get strong faith. E name na Jonathan, and true Christians today fit learn things from e story. Na true say we no de fight war today, but we fit learn plenty fine things from Jonathan. We fit learn to get strong heart, to hold person tight, and to put all our heart for something so that our faith go de strong more-more.​—Isaiah 2:4; Matthew 26:51, 52.

For us to understand why Jonathan get the heart to go attack that group of soldiers, we need to learn about who e be. Jonathan na the senior pikin wey Saul get, and Saul na the first king of Israel. When they make Saul king, Jonathan don be man already, and maybe e don reach 20 years or e don even pass. Jonathan go don really dey tight with e papa, because plenty times, e papa de tell him things. Around the time wey Jonathan dey young, e know e papa as tall, fine soldier with strong heart. But apart from that one, Jonathan still know one important thing about e papa and na say, e papa get strong faith and dey humble. Jonathan see why Jehovah choose Saul as king. Even prophet Samuel talk say no person be like Saul for the land!​—1 Samuel 9:​1, 2, 21; 10:​20-​24; 20:2.

Jonathan go don see-am as special thing to be soldier for e papa and fight against the enemies of Israel. The wars wey them de fight that time no be like the one wey countries de fight today. For Bible time, Jehovah choose Israel people as e people, and other countries wey their god na lie-lie god de always attack them. For example, Philistine people de worship one lie-lie god wey e name na Dagon. Because of the dirty things wey them de do for their worship, them de always want control or even kill the people wey Jehovah don choose.

So for person like Jonathan, e de fight because e want support the worship of Jehovah God. And Jehovah bless Jonathan for e hard work. Small time after Saul don be king, e choose e son Jonathan make e de control 1,000 soldiers. And Jonathan lead them go attack group of Philistine soldiers for Geba. Even as the soldiers wey Jonathan carry no get better things to fight war, Jehovah help Jonathan to win the war. But the Philistine people go back and gather more soldiers. Fear catch plenty of the soldiers wey Saul get. Some of them run go hide, and some even join the side of Philistine people! But the strong heart wey Jonathan get no shake at all!​—1 Samuel 13:​2-7; 14:21.

But one day, Jonathan decide to dodge comot with only e armor-bearer. Na that day we describe for the beginning of this story. As them de near the camp of the Philistine soldiers for Michmash, Jonathan tell e armor-bearer the thing wey e don plan. They go come out well so that the Philistine soldiers go see them. If the Philistine soldiers challenge the two of them say make they come meet them, this one go be sign say Jehovah go help e people. The armor-bearer agree, maybe na the thing wey Jonathan talk move e heart. Jonathan talk say: “Nothing fit stop Jehovah make e no save us, whether the number of people wey e use many or small.” (1 Samuel 14:6-​10) Wetin Jonathan mean?

Jonathan really know the God wey e de serve. E know say for past, Jehovah don help e people to win their enemies for war, even though say the enemies really plenty pass them. Sometimes, Jehovah don even use only one person to fight and win. (Judges 3:31; 4:1-​23; 16:23-​30) So Jonathan know say the important thing no be about the number of people, no be about the power wey they get, and no be about the things wey they get to use fight the war. Instead, the important thing na their faith. So before Jonathan and e armor-bearer attack the camp, e allow Jehovah to decide because of the faith wey e get. Jonathan choose sign wey they go use know say Jehovah want make they attack. As Jonathan see the sign from Jehovah, e attack and e no fear.

See two things about the faith wey Jonathan get. Number one, Jonathan get fear and respect for e God, Jehovah. E know say, if the Almighty God want do e work, e no really need the power wey man get. Even with that one, when people dey faithful to Jehovah, e de like to bless them. (2 Chronicles 16:9) Number two, Jonathan look for sign from Jehovah before e do anything. Today, we no de look for special sign from God to make us know whether we need to do something. Instead, God give us everything wey we need for inside Bible so that we fit know the things wey e want make we do. (2 Timothy 3:​16, 17) We de check Bible well before we make any important decision? If our answer na yes, like Jonathan, we de show say na the thing wey God want we de think about pass the thing wey we want.

So Jonathan and e armor-bearer no waste time climb go meet the Philistine soldiers, even as the mountain really bend go up. When the Philistine see say the two men de come attack them, they send men go fight them. The Philistine soldiers really plenty pass the two men. But apart from that one, the side of the mountain wey they stand high pass the side wey Jonathan and e armor-bearer dey. So to kill the two of them no go take time at all. But, Jonathan just de attack them one by one and na so they just de fall for ground. As them de fall, the armor-bearer dey the back of Jonathan de kill them. For just short time, the two men don kill 20 soldiers! And Jehovah still do another thing. Bible tell us say: “Then fear catch people for the camp wey dey the field and all the people for outside the camp, and even the group wey they send to go attack, begin fear. The earth begin shake, and fear from God catch all of them.”​—1 Samuel 14:15.

From the place wey Saul and e men dey, them de watch as confusion and fear spread among Philistine soldiers. And the soldiers even start to fight each other! (1 Samuel 14:​16, 20) The heart of Israel people come strong and they attack, and e fit be say they collect the weapons of the dead Philistine soldiers. This fight wey the people win no be small one at all and na Jehovah help them. From that time come reach now, Jehovah never change. If we put our faith for Jehovah, like Jonathan and e armor-bearer, we no go ever regret-am.​—Malachi 3:6; Romans 10:11.

Things no really go well for Saul the way e go well for Jonathan after they win the war. Saul don make some serious mistakes. Saul no do wetin Jehovah like as e no obey prophet Samuel. Saul go do the sacrifice wey Samuel suppose to do, even as Samuel na still Levite. When the prophet come, e tell Saul say because e no obey, e kingdom no go last. Then, when Saul send e men go war, e first tell them something wey sense no dey. Saul talk say: “If any person chop anything before evening reach and before I pay my enemies back for wetin they do, curse go follow the person!”​—1 Samuel 13:​10-​14; 14:24.

This thing wey Saul talk show say e don begin change to bad person. Before-before, Saul na humble person and e de fear God. But maybe now e don dey proud and de think only about e self. After all, Jehovah no ever talk say make e direct the soldiers to make that kind nonsense promise; this soldiers don work hard and they don show strong heart. And what about the thing wey Saul talk when e say “before I pay my enemies back for wetin they do”? Or Saul de feel say the war na to bring honor to e self? Saul fit want kill the bad people, e fit want glory, or want win the fight. But e fit don forget say no be that one be the first important thing. Instead, the first important thing na the thing wey Jehovah see as the right thing.

Jonathan no know anything about this nonsense promise wey e papa make the people to promise. The war na strong fight, so Jonathan don really tire. Because of that one, e chuk e rod inside the place wey bee de make their honey, and e taste the honey. At once, Jonathan get e power again. Then one of e men tell him about wetin e papa talk. So Jonathan answer say: “My papa don bring big palava come this land. See the way my eye shine because I taste this small honey. E for really better o, if to say the people chop as they like from the things wey they see with their enemies! Na that one for make us really win the Philistines pass as we don do-am.” (1 Samuel 14:25-30) Jonathan dey correct. E de support e papa, but that one no mean say e no de see. No be everything wey e papa do or talk e go just de follow. Because of this one people respect Jonathan.

When Saul learn say Jonathan don break the promise, Saul no still see say e don make the people promise foolish thing. Instead, e want make they kill e own pikin! Jonathan no argue and e no beg for pity. Instead, the answer wey e give show say e no de think about only e self. E say: “See me! I dey ready to die!” But, Israel people no keep quiet, they talk say: “Jonathan suppose to die? Na because of Jonathan Israel win for big way. This kind thing no go happen! As far as Jehovah dey alive, even one hair for e head no go touch ground, because God dey e back for this thing wey e do today.” Then wetin happen? Saul listen to them. Bible talk say: “Then the people save Jonathan, and e no die.”​—1 Samuel 14:43-​45.

People see Jonathan as better person because of the strong heart wey e get, e de work hard, and e no de think only about e self. Na good character save Jonathan when e dey for danger. For the things wey we de do everyday, e good make we de think about the way people de see us. Bible tell us say na really good thing to get good name. (Ecclesiastes 7:1) Like Jonathan, na really better thing if people know us to be better person.

Even with the mistakes wey Saul make, Jonathan continue to support and fight for e papa for many years. We no fit really explain how Jonathan feel as e see say e papa don de carry body up and do wetin Jehovah no like. Bad thing start to grow for the heart of Saul, but Jonathan no fit stop-am.

The problem wey Saul get really show clear when Jehovah talk say make e go fight war with Amalek people. This people over wicked sotey for time of Moses, Jehovah talk say e go destroy the whole country. (Exodus 17:14) Jehovah tell Saul make e destroy all their animals and kill their king wey e name na Agag. Saul win the war, and Jonathan go don go the war with e papa as e de always do. But Saul decide to make Jehovah vex. E no kill Agag and e keep the property and animals. So prophet Samuel tell Saul the final judgment from Jehovah: “Because you don reject the word of Jehovah, e don reject you as king.”​—1 Samuel 15:​2, 3, 9, 10, 23.

Small time after, Jehovah remove e holy spirit from Saul. Because Jehovah no dey with Saul again, e come de do anyhow, e de get hot temper, and strong fear. The situation just be like say bad spirit from God replace the good one. (1 Samuel 16:14; 18:​10-​12) This one go don really worry Jonathan as e see say the fine character wey e papa be get don over change! But, even with that one, Jonathan no ever stop to serve Jehovah well. E support e papa as e power reach, and sometimes, e even let him know when e no do the correct thing. But Jonathan no stop to use all e heart follow Jehovah, e God and Papa wey no de change.​—1 Samuel 19:​4, 5.

You don ever see person wey you love, maybe your family member, as e character just de worse more-more? That kind thing de really pain reach bone. The example of Jonathan make us remember the thing wey one Bible writer talk. E say: “Even if my own papa or mama troway me, Jehovah go care for me.” (Psalm 27:10) Jehovah no de leave e people. E go still care for you and e go be the best Papa wey you fit ever think of, even if man fail you.

E fit be say Jonathan understand say Jehovah want remove Saul as king. So wetin Jonathan do? You think say Jonathan begin think about the kind king wey e fit be? E start to think say e fit correct some of the mistakes wey e papa don make? We no know wetin dey e mind; we only know say if things like that dey e mind, they no happen. So this one mean say Jehovah troway that faithful man? No way! Instead, Jehovah use Jonathan show us one of the best example of strong friendship for Bible. We go talk about that friendship for another topic.