Not since Brad dumped Jennifer for Angelina has a marital split been as public as this year’s exposure of the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard break up shown to the world in a news consuming court room drama. Brad and Angelina admitted they “fell in love” while he was still married to Jennifer. And in a back stabbing interview Brad blamed Jennifer in a backhanded kind of way by saying he was a wandering wastrel until Angelina came into his life. As far as Johnny and Amber are concerned the truth is out there now for anyone willing to watch it or read about it. As nasty as those splits were, at least they weren’t as bad as the O.J. Simpson split with Nicole Brown that ended with her murder.

Whether literal or figurative the world is filled with accounts of backstabbing people betraying one another. Previously we noted how the go along king, Joash, took up with the evil politicians of his day very quickly after the death of his mentor, Jehoida. After pushing the priests to restore the temple he switched to ignoring it completely and worshiping idols (2 Chronicles 24:18).

God, as the jilted spouse, sent messengers who were ignored until He sent Jehoida’s son, Zechariah. Joash would have known the son of his mentor, Jehoida, perhaps having grown up with him in the temple. The drama of his rebellion against God was put on display before the nation, and recorded for all of posterity so we can read and learn from it. Unlike Brad & Jennifer, or Johnny and Amber, it didn’t just end with a formal court declaration. From the depth of his rebellion Joash was so incensed at the audacity of Zechariah that he ordered him to be stoned. In public, in the court of the very temple where Zechariah’s father had saved and raised Joash to the throne (2 Chronicle 24:19-22). Well, murder certainly complicates things. Even though he was acquitted by the jury, O.J. Simpson’s life fell apart. In an even worse way the life of Joash collapsed as he lost a battle to a small army, paid a fortune in ransom, and then was murdered by his own servants (2 Chronicles 24:23-26).

Will these events teach us the folly of thinking we can betray God and get away with it? We can’t, yet we keep on trying don’t we! Let’s recognize the power of sin to destroy our lives and determine to remain faithful to God. If we’re going to make the news cycle let it be for our obedience and relentless determination to serve God.