True connection with God is not built on material gifts or rituals of atonement, but on a deep, internal readiness to listen and obey. When a person wishes to express gratitude for God's endless kindness, the most appropriate response is not an animal offering, but a spiritual commitment to hear His voice.
Different types of offerings serve various purposes. A peace offering or a meal offering made of fine flour and oil act as standard gifts [רד״ק, אבן עזרא]. A burnt offering atones for neglecting positive duties or for improper thoughts, while a sin offering atones for actively violating prohibitions [רד״ק, אלשיך]. However, the primary approach among commentators is that God has no essential desire for the physical sacrifices themselves [מאירי]. A human king might expect payment or gifts in exchange for his favors, but God's kindness is given freely and requires no compensation [אבן עזרא, אלשיך]. Therefore, authentic gratitude to God does not depend on bringing an offering [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Furthermore, God certainly does not want a person to sin merely to create an opportunity to bring an atonement sacrifice later [מצודת דוד, אלשיך].
This raises a natural question: since the Torah is filled with instructions regarding sacrifices, how can one say God did not ask for them? The commentators explain that when the Torah was given, God's initial instruction was simply that the people listen to His voice, without any mention of animal offerings [רש״י, רד״ק]. The system of sacrifices was introduced only later, after the people began to sin, because a person who does not sin has no need for them [רד״ק]. While there are fixed communal offerings, they serve specific functions, such as atoning for individuals who are unaware of their sins [רד״ק], or they act as a source of satisfaction for God rather than a burdensome obligation [רש״י]. Ultimately, even though God included these laws in His Torah, they were never His original desire [מלבי״ם]. He simply did not ask for them as an ideal [מצודת ציון].
Instead of demanding offerings, God seeks obedience. He designed human beings with an inherent capacity to hear His will. Just as a person digs and hollows out a pit in the ground [רד״ק, אלשיך], God opened and prepared the human ear [רש״י, מצודת ציון]. He created this physical opening specifically so that people can absorb, understand, and follow the teachings of the Torah [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ, מצודת דוד]. The primary approach among commentators aligns with the message of the prophet Samuel: actively listening to God's voice is vastly superior and far more desirable to Him than any physical sacrifice.