God why don't you do something

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God, Why Don’t You Do Something—Now?

Don Campbell

15 Fern Lane

Almo, KY 42020

270-530-0223

doncampbell1943@gmail.com

All quotations from the New King James Bible


God, Why Don’t You Do Something—Now?

Some people look at the state of affairs in a given society, shake their fists at

God, and cry out, “When are you going to do something about this mess?” Many of

these same people would consign God to the sidelines of history— at best; but when

trouble strikes, they want him to break into history Rambo style to fight the enemy,

whomever or whatever it is. God has broken into history in some very visible and

dramatic ways—the Exodus, for example; however, God most often intervenes

providentially in the affairs of nations by putting it into the hearts of humans to do his

work, whether that working is preaching the gospel or making war.

Nothing written in the Old Testament was written to us, but all was written for us

(Rom 15:4). The messages of the prophets are as timely today in principle as they

were when they were written. The speech, the dress, and the specific issues have

changed, but human nature remains the same—sinful to the core (Rom 7:18). When

most of the prophets spoke, they brought God’s charges against the nation to whom

they spoke (e.g. Ezek 25-32). When Habakkuk spoke, he lodged a complaint against

God, because God had not righted the wrongs of the sinful nation: “ O Lord, how long

shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, "Violence!" And You will not

save?” (Hab 1:2).

The Prophet’s Plaintive Plea

Habakkuk outlines his case for God’s swift intervention to right the wrong that fills

the nation: “Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For

plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises. Therefore


the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the

righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds” (Hab 1:3-4).

Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Micah all wrote about the same corruption that troubled

Habakkuk: 1) the priest were ignorant and corrupt, 2) religion had become vain and the

temple was a den of thieves, 3) the disenfranchised of society (widows, fatherless,

aliens) were oppressed, 4) murder, theft, perjury, and adultery were common, 5) the

powerful seized the fields and homes of the weak, 6) the rulers (shepherds) fed

themselves and allowed the strong to abuse he weak (Jer 7:1-11 22:1-17; Mic 2:1-2;

Ezek 34:1-7, 20-24). Concerning Israel’s history, David Lipscomb wrote:

Their kings, despite an occasional good one, led them further from God, deeper

and deeper into sin and rebellion; led them into idolatry, involved them

continually in war and strife, brought them into frequent alliances with the

rebellious and idolatrous nations of earth that supported human government, all

of which brought upon them the desolation of their country, the consuming of

their substance, the destruction of their cities, the slaughter of their armies the

captivity and enslavement, in foreign lands, of their people.1

Habakkuk’s plaintive plea does not imply that God is either unknowing, uncaring,

or powerless. Habakkuk earnestly desired God’s intervention, and God patiently

answered the prophet’s plea. Before we look at God’s answer, let’s compare the

prophet’s day to the first decade of this century in America, keeping in mind that our

review is about the state of the Union, not about the state of the church. Nor is it about

politics. It is about corruption in high places, corruption which has no party affiliation—


perhaps universal party affiliation is more accurate. The word of the Lord came to

Jeremiah:

"O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?" says the Lord. "Look, as

the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! The

instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to

pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from

its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I

speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it

does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent

concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it (Jer 18:5-10 ).

Lipscomb believed that every human government is corrupt, including

democracies. Based on this conviction, he advocated positions that have been

interpreted by some as politically libertarian. One need not accept Lipscomb’s

conclusions in regard to the Christian’s relationship to governments to agree with him

that human governments are corrupt. James Madison, who is often called The Father

of the Constitution, recognized the propensity for corruption and the abuse of power in

the government.

But the great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in

the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each

department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist

encroachments of the others. The provision for defense must in this, as in all

other cases, be made commensurate to the danger of attack. Ambition must be

made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the


constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that

such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what

is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men

were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men,

neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In

framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great

difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the

governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the

people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has

taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.2

God planted America and has richly blessed the nation for over two centuries.

Whether or not he will continue to bless this nation may depend on how well the system

of checks and balances work. In researching for this article, the task was not in finding

sufficient evidence of government corruption, but in keeping the list under epic

proportions. Borrowing from the words of the writer of Hebrews, “Time would fail me to

tell” of the corrupt officials from city council members to occupants of the White House

who have lied, swindled, cheated, manipulated, and otherwise disgraced their office. I

have selected areas of corruption at the federal level which show abuse by the

government or discrimination by the government in favor of the powerful or the weaker

and often disenfranchised.

1. As a result of deregulation of the banking industry—which began under Reagan

and continued through three decades and four presidencies—Wall Street pirates

pillaged and plundered the nation’s individual and corporate wealth, resulting in


the collapse of the system. To believe that an industry which obviously loves

money would regulate itself for the good of the people is as foolish as a farmer’s

believing that dressing up pigs in party dresses and tuxedos before turning them

loose at the slop trough would cause them to eat like ladies and gentlemen.3

2. In 1992, while Dick Cheney served a Secretary of Defense, Halliburton

subsidiary Brown & Root was paid $9 million by the Pentagon to produce a

classified report detailing how private companies (like itself) could provide

logistical support for American troops in potential war zones around the world. In

1995, Cheney left the government to become Halliburton's CEO. The number of

its subsidiary companies in offshore tax havens increased from 9 (in 1995) to 44

(in 1999). One of these subsidiaries (Halliburton Products and Services Ltd.,

incorporated in the Caiman Islands) has been used since 2000 to get around

sanctions on doing business in Iran. At the same time, Halliburton's federal

taxes dropped dramatically from $302 million in 1998 to an $85 million rebate in

1999.4 The company’s close connections with the Pentagon enabled it to secure

lucrative contracts to feed American troops in Iraq, and boosted its profits even

more by serving spoiled food and contaminated water. In addition to the plethora

of public evidence for this, I have my own son’s statements about the food which

he made to me both in correspondence and upon his return from Iraq in 2005.5

3. Oil reached $148 a barrel in 2008; the same year the five largest oil companies

earned a record $148 billion, as they siphoned an average of $236 annually out

of the pockets of American drivers.6


4. Insurance companies automatically and arbitrarily withhold survivor benefits from

families of American military personnel killed in the line of duty, and place the

money in “retained assets” accounts, pocketing billions of dollars annually in

interest—interest that should belong to the survivors.7

5. The pharmaceutical industry has the largest lobby in Washington—there are

more pharmaceutical lobbyists there than members of Congress—and it gives

huge sums to political campaigns. Consequently, most drug-related legislation is

a prescription for more profits. For example, a 2003 law prohibited Medicare from

using its purchasing power to negotiate drug prices, something every major

insurance company does.7

We could go on and on, but we have made the point: Our government is corrupt.

Corruption, of course, is nothing new. From the time the ink dried on the Constitution,

greed, corruption, bribery, unhealthy influence by special interest groups, and the

prostitution of offices for the aggrandizement of the officeholders have been all too

common. Sooner or later, however, God’s patience runs out with nations that squander

his blessings (2 Pet 3:1-9). America is still the leader of the world in military hardware

and prowess, it but far from being a leader in morality and good government.

God’s Perplexing Proclamation

God responded to Habakkuk’s plea: "Look among the nations and watch—Be

utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe,

though it were told you (Hab 1:5). God had plans which he would execute in his own


way and his own time. His plan was not something that Habakkuk would figure out

ahead of time—in fact, God says, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

But God does tell Habakkuk: “For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter

and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling

places that are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their

dignity proceed from themselves (Hab 1:6-7). God was not going to break into history

as he did at the Red Sea. His work would be carried out by a nation even more evil

than Israel. Habakkuk was perplexed that God would use the wicked Chaldeans to

punish Israel, but God told Habakkuk to put it into writing. "Write the vision And make it

plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed

time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because

it will surely come, It will not tarry (Hab 2:2-3).

If our moral and spiritual decay is like that of Israel of old, do we need to fear that

God will send an evil, ruthless nation against us—perhaps even a Muslim nation from

the Middle East? For some this idea is as appalling as God’s revelation was to

Habakkuk. For others, it seems obvious that this is God’s plan. However, the

“connection” may be too obvious. God surely would say to us as he did to Habakkuk,

“You would not believe me if I told you”; and he has not told us, in spite of what the

page-flipping, text-twisting TV “prophets” and internet bloggers are saying. This being

true, the Book of Habakkuk might appear to be just a lesson in ancient history, but let us

not forget God’s potter’s wheel. When any nation that God has blessed squanders his


blessings, God will exercise his sovereign will and power to uproot, tear down, and

destroy that nation in a time and manner of his choosing (Isa 34:1-4).

The Spirit’s Revelation of Perpetual Principles

Many who claim to have found the key to the Book of Revelation, crank out

books without end—especially in times of social turmoil as we are now experiencing.

They claim to have the key to God’s future interventions into history. There are no

hidden keys, but there are perpetual principles. Chapter four of Revelation shows God

on his throne, reigning. In his hand (5:1), is a scroll written inside and on the back,

sealed with seven seals. This reminds us of God’s instructions to Habakkuk to “put it in

writing and wait.” History is not happenstance. It has already been written by God.

The Lamb of God is the one who executes history as he opens, one after the other, the

seals of the scroll (For further exploration of this theme, see my book Fix Your Eyes on

Jesus, Quality Publications).

The open seals reveal—among other things— wars, market manipulations,

famines, pestilence, and persecution of believers. These are the broad brush strokes of

the picture, but the details belong to God. One message is clear: When God pours out

his wrath on a nation, the first purpose is to call that nation to repentance (Rev 9:20-21;

16:8-11). When a nation’s iniquity is full, God moves against it (Gen 15:16). If God told

us more, we would probably be socked beyond belief.

God does not reveal how and when he will act. Instead, he reveals how we need

to act. “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil


is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have

tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who

has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall

not be hurt by the second death” (Rev 2:10-11)

God told Habakkuk: “For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it

will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, It

will not tarry. Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by

his faith” (Hab 2:3-4). When God revealed the future to Habakkuk, the prophet

trembled:

When I heard, my body trembled; My lips quivered at the voice; Rottenness

entered my bones; And I trembled in myself, That I might rest in the day of

trouble. When he comes up to the people, He will invade them with his troops.

Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor

of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off

from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I

will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my

feet like deer's feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills (Hab 3:16-19).

When your heart pounds in fear and anticipation remember to wait on the Lord in faith:

He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases

strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall

utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall


mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall

walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:29-31)

If your heart is troubled by the state of the Union, you can be assured God is also

troubled. He is the God of history and what he has written shall come to pass. “The

Lord reigns; Let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; Let the earth be

moved! (Psa 99:1).

_______________________________________

Works Cited

1
Civil Government: Its Origin, Mission, and Destiny, and the Christian's Relation

To It (as cited in Stringham, Edward P. 2006. The Radical Libertarian Political Economy

of 19th Century Preacher David Lipscomb. Independent Institute Working Paper). 3

Sept. 2010 http://www.independent.org/pdf/working_papers/66_radical.pdf>
2
Madison, James. “The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper

Checks and Balances Between the Different Departments.” The Federalist #51. 8 Feb.

1788. 3 Sept. 2010 <http://www.foundingfathers.info/federalistpapers/fedindex.htm>
3
Sherman, Matthew. “A Short History of Financial Deregulation in the United

States.” Jul. 2009 31 Aug. 2010 <http://www.openthegovernment.org/otg/dereg-

timeline-2009-07.pdf>
4
Cheney Halliburton Chronology. 31 Aug. 2010

<http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/about_hal/chronology.html>


5
Statement of Rory Mayberry, Former Halliburton Employee Senate Democratic

Policy Committee 13 Jun. 2005, 2 Sept. 2010

<http://dpc.senate.gov/hearings/hearing22/mayberry.pdf>
6
Gloven, David. “Forged MetLife `Checks' Show Retained-Asset Account Risks.”

24 Aug. 2010. 31 Aug. 2010 < http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-24/forged-

metlife-check-lawsuit-costs-show-risks-of-retained-asset-account.html>
7
Angell, Marcia (2004). Excess in the pharmaceutical industry. CMAJ •

December 7, 2004; 171 (12). doi:10.1503/cmaj.1041594. 31 Aug. 2010

<http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-24/forged-metlife-check-lawsuit-costs-show-

risks-of-retained-asset-account.html>

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