Many verses seem to indicate that God desires animal sacrifices, such as Genesis 4:4, Genesis 8:20-21, Genesis 15:9-10, Exodus 20:24, Exodus 29:11-37, Leviticus 1:5, Leviticus 23:12-18, Numbers 18:17-19, and Deuteronomy 12:27. However, other verses seem to indicate that God does not desire animal sacrifices, such as Psalm 40:6, Psalm 50:13, Psalm 51:16, Isaiah 1:11, Isaiah 66:3, Jeremiah 6:20, Micah 6:6-7, Matthew 9:13, and Matthew 12:7.
So does God prefer animal sacrifices or not?
Response
Under the Law, God commanded animal sacrifices. However, what God really wants is the heart—much, much more than He wants sacrifices.
God does not appreciate sacrifices from an evil heart, because such a person has missed the entire point of the Law. God prefers that we follow the spirit of the law, not just the letter.
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