God and Oil

What about God and the oil? With regard to natural disasters God, in these modern days, is already written out of the picture. While reporters freely speak of angry storms and a fickle "Mother Nature", you will not hear much about the Sovereign God of Scripture who is in control of nature. But now we have a disaster that clearly has the finger prints of man all over it. The U.S. government granted the oil leases and drilling authorization for BP and other companies to search, drill, refine, and market oil. BP contracted with a company to manage the drilling rig that brings this oil to the surface. The government regulates all of these activities. As of 2007 there were over 3,500 oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.

Bringing oil to the surface is a technological marvel. The gulf floor lies thousands of feet below sea level. The oil deposits lay in fields deep below the seabed of the Gulf. This is where the drilling begins. One Chevron rig, the Cajun Express, drills down 22,000 feet below the Gulf floor to reach rich oil deposits.  Yet despite all the plans and efforts of government and industry, no one appears to have envisioned that a spill of this magnitude could occur.

So the question remains, what about God and the oil? Is God only an observer in this situation or is he more directly involved? I am reminded of Proverbs 19:21 which says, "Many are the plans of a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."   

Should this disaster have been foreseen? In hindsight, it is easy to say yes. But what could have been taken into account that would have made a difference? Is there something in God's Word that could have prevented or limited this disaster? In a word, yes.

In general science, technology, and the environment are fields that modern Christians have seen as a low priority compared to other areas of doctrine. For the most part these disciplines have been left to those who do not see the importance of being subject to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In a recent visit to the Tower of London and other points of interest in the UK, I was amazed at how many historical and scientific displays included references that these achievements were done for the glory of God and his Son, Jesus Christ. There was at least an acknowledgement, if not a heart-held belief, that God was the ruler of the earth. Such references today would be banned as unconstitutional in the United States.

Thus, the most basic command given to all humanity is ignored or, more commonly, held in contempt. The first command, the Creation Mandate, was that man was to have dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26-28).  Implicit in this command was that this was to be done for God's honor and glory. The task was of divine origin. Each step of progress in all fields was to be done for the glory of God. The Fall changed this. Man's own glory was now preeminent. This is illustrated by the technological undertaking to construct a massive city with a high tower by people who had moved eastward into Babylonia.  The reason for this construction project was to bring fame to themselves (Genesis 11:4). God chose to end their project by confusing their language. But this point should not be missed. Man was attempting to use technology and industrial skill to bring honor to himself. God was not even an afterthought.

Today, the Creation Mandate has been replaced with a technological mandate. People do not ask should a particular task be undertaken so that God would be glorified. All that is asked now is can we accomplish such and such a task. And if it can be done, there is the mandate that it should be done. This is a dangerous way to think.  It is dangerous because we live after the fall of man into sin. When Adam fell he subjected not only the human race to darkness and misery, but also the creation. As Romans 8 teaches, the creation itself has been groaning under the weight of sin.  In other words, creation has been negatively impacted. Among other things this means that things will not always work the way they are intended to, including oil drilling equipment. Add to this the component of the selfish sinful ways of man and you have a recipe for disaster.

Here is what this means practically. Biblical humility teaches that given the best of intentions the noblest of plans for good, and the most careful planning and foresight possible, there is no guarantee that some catastrophic event would not have happened. On the natural side there is the possibility of rare category 5 hurricanes, undersea earthquakes, unknown powerful underwater currents, an unexpected rupture of the earth's crust and other unlikely but possible occurrences too numerous to list. On the human side there is the possibility of faulty equipment and design specifications that were not comprehensive enough to account for the unexpected. You can see that there is potential for trouble even if all the human effort involved is as pure as could be.

But the Bible also teaches that man is anything but pure and selfless. We should not be shocked that costs might be cut to increase profit. It is possible that some people could be motivated by exploitation or greed. Then, there is the human element of revenge and rage on the individual scale. On a larger scale actions such as foreign or corporate sabotage or terrorist acts cannot be ruled out. 3,500 oil rigs make an appealing target.

So the Bible does give essential perspective about drilling for oil. If drilling for oil in the Gulf is an essential thing to do then the bible teaches, in principle, that there are safeguards that are mandatory. It is biblically irresponsible for leaders in government and industry to say they were shocked and unprepared for this disaster when the bible teaches that there is so much that could happen to cause trouble.  

Does irresponsible sound like a strong word? It is meant to be. Romans 1:18 teaches that men actively suppress the truth of God. It is not politically correct to speak of man as evil and selfish apart from coming to know and serve Jesus Christ. It is incorrect to speak of the ravages of sin. Yet, if we are to live and function on this planet it is folly to ignore these two realities. Man cannot make wise decisions about drilling for oil unless he first considers the glory of God.  By ignoring the truth of Scripture industry and government leaders have shown that while they make many plans it is God who will prevail. To ignore Him is to do so at great peril. This is at least one truth to take away from this disaster in the Gulf. These truths are what we must teach to our children and to our churches. Our culture is in dire need of salt and light. Please pray that the power of the Gospel will shine forth in these days.