The statement that God is not rebuking the people for sacrifices and the assertion that burnt offerings are continually before God establishes that the problem is not the absence of worship. The reference to sacrifices and burnt offerings suggests that the people have maintained the ritual requirements of the covenant; the outward forms have been observed. Yet the statement that God does not rebuke for sacrifices suggests that mere maintenance of ritual does not satisfy God's requirements. The reference to burnt offerings being continually before God suggests that the offerings are acceptable in themselves but somehow insufficient. This verse sets up the paradox that though sacrifices are offered regularly, they do not constitute an adequate response to God's demands.

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