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For Young People

How to Find Loyal Friends

Instructions: Do this exercise in quiet surroundings. As you read the scriptures, imagine that you are part of the event. Visualize the scene. Hear the voices. Feel the emotions of the characters. Let the account come to life.

Main characters: Jonathan, David, and Saul

Summary: After David kills Goliath, Jonathan becomes David’s best friend.

1 ANALYZE THE SCENE.—READ 1 SAMUEL 17:57–18:11; 19:1; 20:1-17, 41, 42.

Describe Saul’s appearance as you imagine it to be. (Clue: See 1 Samuel 10:20-23.)

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When he met Jonathan, David was likely a teenager. How do you imagine his appearance? (Clue: See 1 Samuel 16:12, 13.)

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What emotions do you sense in the voices of David and Jonathan when they part at the end of 1 Samuel chapter 20?

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2 DIG DEEPER.

The account states that “Jonathan’s very soul became bound up with the soul of David”—or as the Contemporary English Version puts it, “David and Jonathan became best friends.” (1 Samuel 18:1) What qualities did David possess that might have drawn Jonathan to him? (Clue: See 1 Samuel 17:45, 46.)

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David and Jonathan were approximately 30 years apart in age. What factors do you think helped them to become “best friends” despite the age gap?

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What are some characteristics of a genuine friend, as shown in this gripping account? (Clue: See Proverbs 17:17; 18:24.)

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Why did Jonathan put loyalty to David above loyalty to his own father?

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3 APPLY WHAT YOU LEARNED. WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU LEARNED ABOUT . . .

Friendship.

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Loyalty.

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Friendships with older ones.

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How can you attract the best kind of friends?

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4 WHAT ASPECT OF THIS ACCOUNT IS MOST MEANINGFUL TO YOU, AND WHY?

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IF YOU DON’T HAVE A BIBLE, ASK JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES FOR ONE, OR READ IT ONLINE AT www.watchtower.org