J.A. Motyer's intention is that Amos can once again speak to the church today. The message that Amos gave to the people of Israel in his time is still relevant today, and Motyer, a scholar of the Old Testament, helps us discover the relevance of this book for us. Our society is not far from what society was like in the time of Amos: sexual immorality, opulence, abuse of power and exploitation of the poor are common features of the 8th century BC and of our century.
In the author's words, "The message of this book humbles and frightens us, it rebukes our formalism, it insists that the church is in eternal danger when it displaces the Word of God from the center of its life; it exposes the sin of pleasing ourselves in matters of religion; it describes a religion that is repugnant in the eyes of God and invites people to trust in divine grace through faith and repentance, to commit their obedience to the law of God, and to be incessantly concerned for the needy. Without this, there is nothing as effective as religion itself to separate us from the love of God and unite us to His wrath."
