Discussion of spiritual principles from the Old Testament prophets that are applicable to America in the 21st Century.

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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

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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

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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—

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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>

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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>