God,11 that it presents a God-given way of atonement for Israel’s deep-seated guilt,12 or that it points to a way of restoration for Israel through exile and judgment.13 More cautious approaches argue that no one theme is more important than any other,14 or else that the author was content to underline the value of continuity with the past rather than advocate major changes.15 Such failure to agree on the book’s aim suggests either that the author has not made himself very clear or that the nature