1-2. Yɛɛ berei gaa la Ŋule-wooi 25:​14 sui, le ɓe maa nɛ̃ɛi ku gɛ kwa kɛ ŋwɛlii a gɛɛ ku laoi-laa ­lɛlɛɛ kɛ a Ziova?

 WHAT important quality them you think we must get if want get close friendship with somebody? Maybe you will say, good friends must love and help each other. Maybe you will not take fear to be important quality for good friendship. But the theme scripture for this article say, people who want get close friendship with Jehovah must “fear him.”​—Read Psalm 25:14.

² Even if we been serving Jehovah for long, all of us must get deep respect for him. But wetin it mean to fear God? How we can learn to fear Jehovah? And wetin we can learn from the steward Obadiah, High Priest Jehoiada, and King Jehoash about fearing God?

3. Mɛni-ŋa kɛɛ leŋ ɓe a pɔri gɛi a gɛɛ ku yao, nyaŋ le ɓe nyiŋi a pɔri gɛi a kua?

³ We can be scary if we know that something will hurt us. This type of fear good because it can help us to make good decisions. Fear will make us to not walk too close to the edge of one tall big rock. Because we scary we will run away from danger and we will not want say or do anything to spoil our friendship with somebody we love.

4. Yao-maa kɛɛ leŋ ɓe Setɔŋ a ŋwɛlii e kɛ kuyee Ziova mɛni ma?

⁴ Satan want people to be scare of Jehovah. Satan want us to believe that Jehovah always vex with us, he want punish us and that we not able to do anything to make him  happy. (Job 4:​18, 19) Satan want us to be scare of Jehovah bad way until we stop serving Him. To stop that one from happening, we must learn to respect Jehovah and not do anything that will make him feel bad.

5. Ku yaoɔ Ɣala ma sukulai ɓa le?

⁵ Somebody who get deep respect for God will love Him and will not do anything that will spoil their relationship with Him. That the kind na fear Jesus was having for God. (Heb. 5:7) Jesus was not scare of Jehovah. (Isa. 11:​2, 3) But he was having deep love for Jehovah and he wanted to obey him. (John 14:​21, 31) Like Jesus, we must get deep respect for Jehovah because He loving, wise, fair, and He get power. We also know that Jehovah really love us and he care about how we can act when he give us direction. If we not obey Jehovah, he can feel bad but if we obey him, he can be happy.​—Ps. 78:41; Prov. 27:11.

6. Le ɓa kpɔŋ kua a gɛɛ yao-maa e kɛ kuyeei Ɣala mɛni mai? (Ŋule-wooi 34:​11)

⁶ We not born with the fear for Jehovah; we must learn it. (Read Psalm 34:11.) One way we can do it, that to look at the thing them he made. When we see how the thing them Jehovah made show his wisdom, power, and deep love for us, we can get great respect and love for him. (Rom. 1:20) One sister name Adrienne say, “When I look at everything Jehovah made and see that he wise, it can help me to see that he know what good for me.” Because she always use to think like this, she say: “I not want do anything that will spoil my friendship with Jehovah who gave me life.” Take some time this week to think about something that Jehovah made. When you do it, it will help you get more respect and love for Jehovah.​—Ps. 111:​2, 3.

7. Ɣala-fɛliɛ a kpɔŋ leŋ kua a gɛɛ yao-maa lɛlɛɛ e kɛ kuyeei Ziova mɛni ma?

⁷ Another way we can learn to fear God, that to always pray to him. The more we pray to Jehovah, that the more we can know him good-good. Every time we ask him for strength to go through our problem them, we can remember that he get power. When we tell him thank you for giving his Son to die for us, we can remember that Jehovah really love us. And when we beg Jehovah to help us with our problem, we can remember that he wise. When we pray like this, it can help us to respect Jehovah more. And it can make us to fight hard to not do anything that will spoil our friendship with him.

8. Le ɓe a kpɔŋ kua a gɛɛ kuyao-maai Ɣala mɛni mai su fe saa?

⁸ We can continue to get fear for God by studying the Bible. And when we doing it, we must be ready to learn from good and bad example them in the Bible. Let talk about two of Jehovah faithful servant them, Obadiah who was over King Ahab house and High Priest Jehoiada. Then we will see what we can learn from King Jehoash of Judah, who stop serving Jehovah later on.

9. Le ɓe nyao-maai kɛ Obadaya yeei Ziova mɛni mai e gɛ a nyaa? (1 Kaloŋ-ŋa 18:​3, 12, NWT)

⁹ The first time the Bible talk about Obadiah, b it say: ‘Obadiah was having  great fear for Jehovah.’ (Read 1 Kings 18:​3, 12.) How this deep respect for God help Obadiah? It help him to be honest and for people to trust him. Because of that, the king put him over his whole house. (Compare Nehemiah 7:2.) Obadiah fear for God made him to really be brave. And that the quality that really help him. Obadiah was living when wicked King Ahab was ruling. King Ahab “was worse in the eyes of Jehovah than all those [kings] who were prior to him.” (1 Ki. 16:30) Also Ahab wife, Jezebel, who was worshipping Baal use to hate Jehovah bad way. So, she try to stop everybody in the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel from worshiping Jehovah. She even kill plenty of God prophet them. (1 Ki. 18:4) We can see that the time Obadiah was worshipping Jehovah was really hard.

10. Pere sii kɛɛ leŋ ɓe Obadaya e lii-kpele maa pɔlɔ-pɔlɔ lɛ lai?

¹⁰ How Obadiah show that he was really brave? When Jezebel was looking for God prophets to kill them, Obadiah hide 100 of them somewhere. He divide them 50, 50 and he use to give them bread and water. (1 Ki. 18:​13, 14) If Jezebel was going to know about it, she was going to kill Obadiah. Obadiah was human being like us, so he was scare to die. But Obadiah love Jehovah and his servant them more than his own life.

11. Saa, pere sii kɛɛ leŋ ɓe Ziova fɛli-ɓela dikaa la yɛɛ Obadaya? (Ya pɔri ŋɔnɔ votooi kaai.)

¹¹ Today, plenty of Jehovah people living in country them where they stop our work. Like Obadiah, our brother and sister them can show respect to the government but they can refuse to stop worshipping Jehovah! (Matt. 22:21) They can show that they get fear for God by obeying him instead of obeying human being. (Acts 5:29) They can do it by continuing to preach the good news and to meet together in secret. (Matt. 10:​16, 28) They can try to make sure that their brothers and sisters get the thing them they need to remain close to Jehovah. Let talk about Henri example. He living in one African country where they stop our work  for some time. During that time, Henri volunteer to carry publication to his brother and sister them. He say: “I get shame face. So I convince that the deep respect I get for Jehovah make me brave to do all this thing them.” You think you can be brave like Henri? You can be like Henri if you learn to get the right fear for God.

12. Zala-laa-soŋ-nuu Kɛtɛi Zioada da bɔŋ di wɛli-kɛ-maa ŋa-kanaŋɔɔ lɛ leŋ Ziova ma?

¹² High Priest Jehoiada was having fear for Jehovah. And that fear make him to be faithful to Jehovah and encourage other people to worship Jehovah. He show this fear when Jezebel daughter, Athaliah, started ruling in Judah by force. The people was having good reason to be scare of Athaliah. She was so wicked and greedy for power that she try to kill all her grandsons just to be queen! (2 Chron. 22:​10, 11) One of the grandchild, Jehoash, survive because Jehoiada and his wife, Jehoshabeath, hide him. She and her husband hide the child and they take care of him. Jehoiada and Jehoshabeath make sure that somebody survive from David family line to be king. Maybe Jehoiada was more than hundred years old that time. But he was loyal to Jehovah and he not let fear for Athaliah to stop him from doing the right thing.​—Prov. 29:25.

13. Zoasi kɛɛ a koraŋ lɔɔlu mɛi feerɛi, pere sii kɛɛ leŋ ɓe Zioada e ŋɔnɔ wɛli-kɛ-maa ŋa-kanaŋɔɔ lɛ lai?

¹³ When Jehoash was seven years old, Jehoiada show again that he was loyal to Jehovah. He plan to do something. If the plan work, Jehoash was coming be the rightful king from David family line. But if the plan fail, Jehoiada was coming die. But by the help of Jehovah, the plan work. The chieftains and the Levites help Jehoiada and made Jehoash king and kill Athaliah. (2 Chron. 23:​1-5, 11, 12, 15; 24:1) Then Jehoiada “made agreement between Jehovah, the king and the people, that they will continue to serve Jehovah.” (2 Ki. 11:17) Jehoiada “also put gatekeepers to the house of Jehovah so that people who not clean, can’t enter.”​—2 Chron. 23:19.

14. Pere sii kɛɛ leŋ ɓe Zioada e ɓaa-kɛ-maa sɔlɔ ɓo la kpɛni fei e ɓaa kɛ Ziova ma?

¹⁴ Jehovah told the Israelite them before that: “people who will honor me, I will honor them too.” And for sure he bless Jehoiada. (1 Sam. 2:30) For example, he put Jehoiada story in the Bible so we can learn from it. (Rom. 15:4) And when Jehoiada die, they gave him good burial. They bury him “in the City of David with the other king them, because of the good-good thing them he did for Jehovah.”​—2 Chron. 24:​15, 16.

15. Le ɓe kwa pɔri maa-kɔrii Zioada ŋɔmɛni-kɔɔŋ-maai su? (Ya pɔri ŋɔnɔ votooi kaai.)

¹⁵ Jehoiada story can help all of us to learn to fear God. The elder them can follow Jehoiada example by always looking for ways to protect the congregation. (Acts 20:28) Older people can learn from Jehoiada example that when they fear Jehovah and remain loyal to Him, He can use them to do His work. He can’t forget about them. Young people can learn from the way Jehovah treated Jehoiada. They can follow His example by showing honor and respect to older brothers and sisters, especially those who na stay long serving  Jehovah. (Prov. 16:31) And all of us can learn lesson from the chieftain and the Levite them who help Jehoiada. Let all of us continue to be loyal and support “those who taking the lead” by obeying them.​—Heb. 13:17.

16. Le ɓe nɛ a gɛɛ Galoŋ Zioasi e kɛ a vii kpɛɛ?

¹⁶ Jehoiada help King Jehoash to be good person. (2 Ki. 12:2) Because of that, the young king use to do things that made Jehovah happy. But after Jehoiada die, Jehoash started listening to the prince them that were against Jehovah. What was the result? He and the people started worshipping false gods. (2 Chron. 24:​4, 17, 18) Jehovah was really feeling bad. But He still continue to sent prophets to help them come back to Him, but they refuse to listen. They not even listen to Jehoiada son Zechariah, who was Jehovah prophet and priest. He was also Jehoash cousin. In fact, Jehoash was so ungrateful that he even kill Zechariah who family save him.​—2 Chron. 22:11; 24:​19-22.

17. Le ɓe kɛ a Galoŋ Zioasi?

¹⁷ Jehoash was not having the right fear for Jehovah so it was bad for him. Jehovah told them before that: “Those despising me will be treated with contempt.” (1 Sam. 2:30) Later on, the small Syrian army win the war against Jehoash big army and even hurt him bad way. After the Syrians went back, Jehoash own servant them kill him for killing Zechariah.  The people not agree to bury him to the place they use to bury the king them because they felt that he was too wicked.​—2 Chron. 24:​23-25; see “son of Barachiah” study note on Matthew 23:35.

18. Yɛɛ berei gaa lai Zɛlemaya 17:​7, 8 sui, le ɓe maa nɛ̃ɛi ku gɛ a gɛɛ kufe kɛ yɛɛ Zioasi?

¹⁸ Wetin we can learn from Jehoash example? He was looking like tree that the root not deep in the ground and that depending on another stake to support it. When Jehoiada who was the stake die, Jehoash started listening to people who was against Jehovah and it make him to stop serving Jehovah. This example show that we must not obey Jehovah just because our family members and other people setting good example for us. For us to stay close to Jehovah, we must make our love and respect for him strong. We can do it by always studying the Bible, thinking good-good on what we study and praying to Jehovah.​—Read Jeremiah 17:​7, 8; Col. 2:​6, 7.

19. Le ɓe Ziova a ŋwɛlii a gɛɛ ku gɛi?

¹⁹ Jehovah not asking us to do plenty things. The only thing Jehovah want us to do, that it in Ecclesiastes 12:13. It say: “Fear the true God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole obligation of man.” When we get fear for God like Obadiah and Jehoiada, it will help us to remain loyal to him no matter what happen in the future. Nothing will be able to spoil our friendship with Jehovah.