Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
God spoke to the people through the prophets because many of us are too hard at heart to listen to God. We have lived in this corrupt world which has hardened our hearts in many ways.
The sacrifices were designed to soften people’s heart as they made them; but they too lost their effectiveness when people hardened their hearts again.
God wants us to come to Him with open hearts and willing to receive; that means allowing those walls we build up to be broken down by Him…
Easier said than done; but try we must.