(ps I hope God has a sense of humour, and at least reads the ending, before condemning me.)

Being dog lovers we watched dog obedience training on the TV. At the same time I was reading the Bible about the problems God was having with Israel (used here to include all the tribes and communities) worshiping idols, going into servitude under their enemies, repenting, and later falling again. ( refer to Judges Ch3: verse 7, v12, Ch4: v1, Ch6: v1, Ch8: v33 Ch10: v6 and lots more) One of the TV shows we were watching was "Dog whisperer" Caesar Milan stressing that you must teach the dogs rules, boundaries, limitations and submission to the "pack leader" which is you, and every member of your family. This was interspersed with reading of Israel going into sin yet again and suddenly I perceived a common thread.

During the time of Judges they had a leader (pack leader) who guided them, and they prospered as they obeyed God's laws, more or less. When that leader died they gradually (sometimes promptly) returned to their previous sins, and worshiping the gods of the surrounding nations. During their forty years of wandering in the desert they sometimes stayed in the same place for years, tending their sheep and cattle, many of which were used for sacrifices. There was a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night. But after a few years this probably became the "normal" and it just "is" and they tended to forget its origin and become a law unto themselves, they kept their sheep, they kept their cattle, and were left to their own devices most of the time. Then they murmured against Moses, as to why should he be their leader.

Before God created the world and solar system, he had created beings in heaven, they never misbehaved, never dropped lolly papers or stuck chewing gum under the seats, or left bones or any mess on the carpet, definitely never trampled mud into the Throne Room. Lucifer, a created being, was especially beautiful and talented, he lead the music and eventually became proud and puffed up, (giving rise to references to "leaven" which puffs up) and decided that he would be "like" the Most High, not equal or the same, but similar. Lucifer then mislead many of the created beings and one third eventually rebelled over who should lead them and were cast out of heaven. Because God had created the beings in heaven He had no way to test and evaluate them before accepting them into heaven, as they were already there. God needed a place where he could test the spirits and beings, a place where they could not see their eventual destination in the spiritual realm, and some standard by which to judge them, one that all could achieve, actually just a decision, as none of our puny skills would be useful to God in heaven.

This is why God created the earth, to test our spirits to see if we are acceptable, will we argue as to who will be our (pack) leader, should our creator be our leader? Who should we obey, who is our "pack leader"? What morals are morally right, who lays down the law? The God of creation sets the standards, but many people don't accept that, preferring some imagined god or gods, or natural chemistry, mutations and accidents as the creating force. Therefore by their own choice they don't qualify.

Those of you who have had puppies have probably learnt that you have to catch them doing something wrong and correct them then, or take them outside at intervals to teach them where and when to go. Its no good trying to explain just a few seconds after they have messed up, as one step away and they cannot connect the mess with what you are angry about, and it just depresses them as they can't understand your anger, and why you are not showing leadership and companionship.

If a puppy is left to its own devices most of the time it probably won't recognise you as pack leader. When taking the dog for a walk put the lead on and take it to the door and command it to sit, and make it sit while you go out the door, then call the puppy and command sit while you close the door, do the same at the gate. Then you are the pack leader, and the puppy has no responsibility but to follow you and no stress. If the puppy goes out first, pulling on the lead then he is the pack leader, and has to protect you from every perceived threat of danger, making it aggressive, stressed out and difficult to manage.

God dealt with Moses and other leaders, but didn't deal personally with all of the estimated three million people, so further down the chain of command the people probably took a greater part in their social structure and laws, so becoming their own rulers, to some extent, divorced from Moses and the other top leaders. So when commands or rulings came down that they didn't understand or like, they grumbled. If the cloud moved and they had to pack up they probably grumbled, as they thought of all the problems that might follow, like finding water, food and setting up camp and tents again, even though God was in charge of ensuring there was water, and Mana in the morning. Perhaps because everything just happened, water and mana, they may have started to forget who was taking care of all their needs. There would always be some confusion when setting up camp again, and finding where the water was and hoping the mana would be there at this new camp in the morning.

It seemed to me that there was a delay, particularly in the time of the Judges, between starting to go into sin, and any corrective action. The problem just got worse until eventually God could not accept it any longer. In some cases God would repeatedly give a warnings through a prophet, that he would punish them, giving them time to take the warning seriously. Then he would start preparing a nation and building them up to defeat Israel and this could take some years to bring the prophesy to pass. (In Jeremiah Chapter 1 Verses 1--4 at least 23 years warning see Chapter 25 Verse 3, pleading with them to repent)
By then the people had dismissed the prophesy as years had passed and nothing had happened, and presumably the so called gods they worshiped would have assured them that it would not happen, and they usually had many false prophets who probably made a living by prophesying good things, so it was forgotten, null and void. Therefore the sudden attack and enslavement etcetera, came as a complete shock and was totally inexplicable. No doubt they grumbled about it and felt it was unjust, and why hadn't God rescued them. Then they would eventually realise that they hadn't been worshiping their true God, the God of creation, but so-called gods who didn't have their welfare in mind. Eventually with repentance and a new leader God would get them back in line, free, in control and worshiping.

But then I realised . . . .
Humans haven't changed! This is what we are doing with our children, there is a delay between the sin or crime, and any punishment, perhaps a year or more before it gets into court. If they are in their early teens or younger, the punishment is minimal, perhaps just a telling off for converting a car, or stealing, as the law considers them too young to be held responsible. (One multiple murderer, of two of his own children and five other people, is serving seven life sentences concurrently, this makes a joke of law and justice, concurrent should not be allowed for serious sentences.) This allows them to become hardened habitual trouble makers or criminals with virtually no understanding of punishment or retribution under the law, or from their parents.

Our government is now foisting upon us such laws as you cannot smack your child, even just sending them off to their room for "time out" will be a crime that the parent can be jailed for, (injuring their feelings, restricting their freedom). If they play up in the supermarket because they want an ice-cream and you won't give them one, even that could be a crime, depriving them or telling them off hurts their feelings, you could get jailed for that, worse if you smack them.

In Sweden not only could you be jailed, but as has happened in many cases the children can be taken from you and your spouse/partner for their protection. They then finish up in foster care institutions where they are smacked and punished, and never loved or cared about personally, and you may never get them back, even if a court orders their return, just because you were accused of telling them off or the terrible crime of one smack. One man was found not guilty of smacking one of his children but he never got his children back. Foster care is a very big and rapidly growing business, with high profit, as the Swedish government pays very well, vastly more than the cost of keeping the child with its loving parents. It is a very serious form of legally sanctioned child abuse.

I remember lining up outside the head-masters office for "three of the best" with a heavy leather strap, not quite as heavy as those used for sharpening the old "cut throat razors", on the palm of your hand, and that was just for not trying hard enough to do my maths. It never harmed me, but taught that one should apply oneself the the alloted task.

There are rules, morals, responsibilities, and problems if you don't keep to them. Not necessarily in the form of punishment, but perhaps no promotion, or no job, or marriage breakup, drug abuse, gambling addictions, loss of incentive, then disaster.

As children grow up with all their bad habits, being their own "boss", as no one can exercise authority over them, they will not expect any significant punishment for whatever they do. They are being openly encouraged to become sexually active, but with no warnings about the diseases they will probably get, or that those protective devices don't always work, (20% failure rate) and it will most likely be the girl who gets the disease. Then there are the problems entailed in abortion, both medical and emotional, and if it goes wrong, and many do, and the records are deliberately not collated, and it turns out that that was the only baby you could have had, because of damage, that will be hard to live with.

Then there is the shock and incomprehensible situation when the police slam you into jail, and then the judge puts you away for a year or two. How come no one warned you that there could be punishment for doing "that", you did it as a youth and only got told off by a councillor, so you feel offended by society as this is totally unjustified by any experience or training you have had. If it is a choice between corrective smacking or later being thrown into prison, smacking is the better choice as it doesn't scar the emotions or your employment qualifications. Please note that smacking is not beating as many misguided people claim, and the law gives protection against that. However the threat of the law does nothing to stop someone in a drunken or drug induced rage, which is the usual cause of excessive violence. with being totally stressed out, with nerves on edge as a next probable trigger.

Owing to the stupidity of the lawmakers "I was drunk or on drugs" is taken as mitigating circumstance, leading to softer sentences, whereas the pressure should be on to punish harder for deliberately putting yourself into a dangerous condition.
Repeated drunk driving is dealt with case by case, with minimal sentences, even when someone has been killed on successive events, instead of it being compulsory to ramp up the sentences quickly to the maximum, finishing with a very long term in prison. This might not help the offender, but could save others from being maimed or killed. The innocent people should be protected from repeat offenders, letting them out makes it possible for them to get on the road again, which is not protection. If someone is high on drugs with a gun or other weapon, threatening or doing injury, are the drugs mitigating circumstances or a reason for heavier sentencing? There is a duty of every citizen to keep themselves under control, and not to take drugs or alcohol to the extent that bad behaviour will follow.

As for the ice-cream in the supermarket, the only option I can see at the moment is to do a deal with the child that you have to stick to, so it will work in the future. 'Do you want your ice-cream now instead of your tea. that means that when we have our tea you will not get anything until breakfast in the morning." But this might also be a crime punishable by imprisonment, as the child's feelings might be hurt, or might be deprived of something. Alternatively "Have you got enough pocket money here to pay for it?" Issue small amounts of pocket money early, so they can be taught the cost of ice-creams etc, and if they can't pay they have to learn to save up. Have you deprived your child of their rightful amount of pocket money? Don't give too much or they won't learn its value and how to plan and save.

Perhaps praying that God will guide your child is the best option, but then perhaps you could be jailed for mentioning God, as that inhibits your child's options to have all that so-called "fun" that often leads to incurable diseases or disasters in life.

Keep short accounts with God, and with children, as children don't understand time very well. Don't let bad behaviour go unchecked, at least point it out at the time, and don't delay punishment unduly as the connection is soon lost to a child. They need a lot of love and to feel respected and comfortable with their parents. Then perhaps like a dog following the pack leader (you) they will strive to please and behave well.

But then . . .
But then while I was typing this up I realised that our society is doing the same as the ancient Israelites. We have our own "gods" to worship, various sports that consume inordinate amounts of time and effort, some of which is legitimate for keeping fit and healthy. We have numerous beliefs, eastern religions, astrology, some following some Guru, some supposedly replacing christianity or derived from it. Some even believe that violence murder and suicide bombing is the way to get what you want, this is just the scaled-up version of a spoilt child's tantrum, usually driven by a spiritual entity who knows his time is short, now that Gods chosen people are back in the promised land. Work, TV, films social events and even the internet can become all consuming and keep you from spending time with God.

Even evolution is a religion which starts by absolutely refusing to accept that there might be a God who created, and then demanding that everything must be explained by natural chemical processes, without any room for a God, thus if God did create as the Bible states then evolutionists can never find the truth, as no theory will truly account for life and its vast complexity. Numerous times it has been proved that the complexity of the simplest replicating cell is vastly too complex to happen accidently, as the required chemistry will never occur naturally, and the organised instructions that control the cells processes require intelligent planning, manipulating of the chemistry, and control to set up a living system, in which all the mechanisms must be ready and working inside a properly formed cell, otherwise water and chemicals would contaminate it rendering incapable of functioning.

What is the difference between a dead cell or body, and a living one? Is it some spiritual, or near spiritual entity that is not composed of the chemistry of the cell? Is it the presence of the eternal spirit that God has put into you so He can evaluate it? Is it just that the "main spring" is wound up as with a clock? The very first living entity must have on completion of assembly, enough energy to obtain nutrients and process them. This is supplied by the parent once life is established, but there is no way this can happen by random chemicals or accidents happening without intelligent guidance.

As in ancient times the Israelites fell into worshiping false gods some of whom required child sacrifices, we also sacrifice thousands each year on the alter of convenience, we don't want a child yet, this child should not have happened, we can't afford one until we have a house, better income, or other requirement that we may envisage. This devalues the child to a replaceable item, "I don't want this one, I will get one later" As they grow up and learn about babies and abortion, do they wonder what value they are? What purpose have I, am I loved or just tolerated, how close was I to being aborted, just thrown away as rubbish? This also clouds the attitude of parents as to how much do I value this child that I nearly had aborted? And in a bad moment "why didn't I"? God puts a very great value on all of them, though some won't respond properly to his love and calling.
In ancient times abortion was a criminal offence with a death penalty as a king or ruler needed as many soldiers as possible to be able to keep his kingdom, as at any sign of weakness another king might take the kingdom, and usually kill the king and his family.

Sodom was destroyed because of bad morals, but now our society is trying to make out that all these activities are OK, and must be accepted by all as normal and good behaviour. This is one way only, people with good morals must accept that bad morals are also good and fully acceptable in society, but people with "bad" morals are not required to permit other people to have their own set of "good" morals, any reference to good morals is classed as "hate speech". Crime, suicide, murders,school shootings are on the increase, but the stabilising influence of a God with moral standards, and eternal punishment which you cannot bypass, has been removed, and is not allowed in schools, or society, because it might offend somebody.
It would also restrict what one can do and feel comfortable about, excluding such things as are prohibited in the Bible, see the Book of Romans Chapter One. But they should be offended, thus drawing their attention to the dangers of that behaviour, as it is the process whereby peoples behaviour is corrected, so as to keep society on a good, pleasant and stable path, that all can enjoy, and all be treated properly. This is intended for your good, to keep you free of communicable diseases, and from emotional situations that might otherwise blight your life. Our stupid government has enacted so called "hate speech" laws, which are actually to stop "love speech" so other people cannot help you by pointing out the dangers and disappointments of the lifestyle you may be following. Why should some woman be raped just because some man thinks it is his right, a natural expression and outlet of his natural emotions? Should he not learn to control himself as most other men have? I was taught that women must be respected and protected. There are many other forms of abuse, causing depression and low self-esteem and life long problems.

After 6000 years of technical progress are we any better as people, in our social relationships, as worshipers of the God of Creation? I don't think so, we are still just as amoral, disobedient, and frustrating to the God who loves us. He still has just the same two options for our eternity, eternal love or eternal rejection. You are the one who decides how close to the dividing line to be, and which side to be on for all eternity, but can you guess where God draws the line? Which side will He judge you to be on? Have you repented of your sins as God sees them, and accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour? If not you are probably on the wrong side!
Its like joining a sports team. You have to turn up at practice, take part, and say that you want to join, then you may be selected. God only accepts those who make the decision and commitment, and doesn't turn anyone down, as He has plenty of space in heaven.