Does doing religious rituals without faith count for anything with God?
No. Religious rituals performed without faith count for nothing before God. Without faith it is impossible to please Him, and those who follow rites by rote while leaving faith out are establishing their own righteousness rather than submitting to God's righteousness. Such outward observance, even of feast days and sacrifices, profits nothing spiritually.
Les explains that Israel had never opened their thinking to understand what the Book said. They were ignorant of God's righteousness and went about to establish their own righteousness instead of submitting to the righteousness of God. They tried to do it with their own works and left faith out of the picture. He compares this to people today who will do whatever a denomination prescribes, according to rote and ritual, but without faith, and says it will count for nothing—they might just as well stay home. Israel was no different: they kept the Feast Days, followed the sacrifices, and followed the Law to the letter, but with no faith. And without faith, it is impossible to please God, just as true in the Old Testament economy as it is today. Christ was the object of faith Israel was expected to embrace. He came proving who He was and fulfilled over 360 distinct prophecies out of the Old Testament, so they should have recognized Him; but they did not know their Bible.