Timeout!

How should a child be disciplined? Take away her iPad? Ground him from certain activities? Put him in timeout? In Psalm 78, God doesn’t equivocate. The punishment for disobedience is swift and harsh.

The late comedienne, Phyllis Diller, frequently remarked that “most children threaten at times to run away from home.” Then she added, “This is the only thing that keeps some parents going.”

Being a parent is not for the faint of heart. Yes, a newborn child is a “bundle of joy.” But very soon, she’s a handful of aggravation. Parents are often surprised to observe — especially as the first child grows — that children quickly develop a mind and a will of their own.

What to do?

They Google “parenting” and buy a cartload of books. That’s what they do. Or, they adopt President Harry S. Truman’s strategy, to wit: “I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it.”

Parents should be encouraged by the news that the discipline of children is not a new concern. It’s been the topic of uncountable conversations in kitchens,...