I am not going to debate your last contention.

I agree that the prophets clearly indicate that fire-offerings of the first born were not what God would ask. Instead he requires righteousness, humbleness and and love for thy neighbor.

However, that said, how well have you read your bible?

It is quite clear that human commandments were taught as a means to force observance and compliance. Think the question about who is my neighbor. This question is a direct result of Deuteronomy and the teaching of human commandments.

The moral law of the 10 commandments, these are in effect property rules, are quite clear. Y

1. no strange gods or idols. I am YOUR God who bought you = property;
2. no stealing = property;
3. no false witness = reputation/ lying = property;
4. no sex with neighbor's wife = stealing as wife = property.
5. honor they father and mother = > fruit of the belly = property.
6. Sabbath = Gods day = rest = property.

Shall I go on? once you see the values behind those laws, you do not need 10. 2 is all you would need.

" love god above all else and your neighbor as yourself" - Jesus.

" if you do not love your neighbor, whom you have seen, you cannot love God, whom you have not seen" . - John

Easy peasy, max freedom and room for spirituality, instead of the works of the law, that only leads to one outcome: death.

When you move from this to the books I referenced, you will find something shocking, like Hamlet shocked his mother. Nowhere in the older books will you find strict adherence or even reference to Deuteronomy, Leviticus or numbers. These were later additions and attributions. instead you will find condemnation towards their animal sacrifices, their new moons, their sabbaths.

But, yet, they were sent into captivity. Why? For not holding the sabbath. Compliance. Not for something else.

They even give us the clue to that when in Josiah' s time, somewhere ins some remote recess of the temple, the books of Moses were found. That puts the writing of it straight into the 6th century/ 5th century.

When we now compare Nehemiah and Ezra to the above referenced books, you' ll find a radical, ethnocentric, supremacy seeking, hate-towards-others type of system based on strict compliance, enforced by the priest-class.

Compare this to the talmud .... you' ll be amazed.

When you read your bible carefully, you will find, Judea, Benjamin and the Levites are a different breed than the other 10 tribes. O yes, the latter are demonized. But that is usually done by the victors is it not? Who would challenge their contentions?

So, you can let others deny this for you, as much as you want. It does not change the facts. Once you are able to see through these mind games, you really are on the road to freedom.

The other option is their yoke. And it's heavy.