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            God through the prophet Amos said, “For they know not to do right” (Amos 3:10). The prophet Amos was a country prophet, a shepherd from the little town of Tekoa a few miles south of Jerusalem (Amos 1:1). In addition to being a shepherd Amos was a farmer working in the fig grove (Amos 7:14-15). In spite of the fact that Amos was a country prophet, preacher, shepherd, and farmer, he was in tune with the moral status of the Jews and knowledgeable of the Law of Moses. Through Amos God pronounced judgement upon various nations that were neighbors of Judah, and judgment upon Judah and Israel. The people of God had degraded into simply being a nation among nations, a nation that no longer reflected the spiritual values and principles of God, even though they thought of themselves as being superior because of God’s relationship with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the Law of Moses. Ironically, in spite of having those things, they took it all for granted and lived transgressing the will of God. So in God’s message to Israel through Amos he plainly says, “For they know not to do right” (Amos 3:10). The qustion would be, why did they not know to do right?
            First, because historically Israel separated themselves from their brethren in Judah. Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, became king and through his arrogance was rebellious toward the elders of God’s people and the older generation (1 Kings 12). That arrogance brought about a negative reaction by Jeroboam and he rebelled and took the northern tribes with him forming the northern kingdom, or Israel. This separation from Jerusalem and their brethren in Judah, and an unwillingness to return to Jerusalem to carry out the fiests set out in the Law of Moses meant that places of worship were established in the north, that God had not authorized. To discourage the people from returning to Jerusalem he removed the Levites from being the priests, and built in two convenient locations, Dan and Bethel, “golden calves” where the people in the north could go to supposedly worship God (1 Kings 12:1-20). That literal separation from their brethren and rebellion in the name of truth led to their not knowing to do right. The application for Christians is that when a Christian makes the decision to separate him or herself from brethren there is the danger of coming to a point of not knowing to do what is right.
            Second, because the Law of Moses was not longer being taught to the people, but the new traditions of men was the message of the day.  Jereboam withheld the Word of the Lord from the people and as Paul said would happen in the New Testament era, rejecting the truth “they shall accumulate unto themselves teachers…” that did not teach the truth (2 Timothy 4:3).  Jereboam had done that and it was said to Jereboam by the Lord, “you have done evil above all that were befor you, for you have gone and made yourself other gods and molten images…and have cast me behind your back” (1 Kings 14:9). When the peole of God in the north no longer heard the Law of Moses taught little by little it faded from their minds and memories and as Amos said “For they know not to do right” (Amos 3:10). When the Word of God fails to be taught and preached in the Lord’s church the very same thing will happen. Little by little the truth will fade from the minds and memories of Christians and when error enters it cannot be seen because as in the days of Amos, “For they know not to do right”. The people of Israel, the northern kingdom, came to a point where they did not know the difference between truth and error, and in their minds the error sounded like truth. When Christians fail to read, study, and meditate upon the Word of God then the time does come when the difference between truth and error cannot be distinguished. “Preach the word, be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all patience and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2).