For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
Concerning the sacrifices commanded in the Law of Moses, Jesus himself said, "These ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone (justice, mercy, and faith)"  (Matthew 23:23).  In this admonition, Jesus referred primarily to tithing certain things; and, since the tithing of flocks and herds was also included, it is a valid view that Jesus designated the sacrifices of the Law of Moses as legitimate, things which "ye ought to have done."  Furthermore, the prophetic and inspired designation of Jesus Christ as "The Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world" inevitably points to the sacrificial system from which such a designation is derived, with the mandatory conclusion that the system was as authentic as the Christ which it identified.  Therefore, the false notion that animal sacrifices were never really part of God's will is to be rejected.  They were a valid part of the Mosaic system, a system clearly introduced by God Himself.