What does 1 Samuel 15:22 mean?

Saul first disobeyed the Lord at Gilgal, offering sacrifices himself instead of waiting for Samuel. He justified this by saying he was making sure the sacrifice was done (1 Samuel 13:11–12). His implication is that he was doing a good thing, therefore his choice was good. But Saul disobeyed: he offered sacrifices instead of obeying God's command to wait.

Now Saul has repeated the error. His excuse for keeping alive the best animals of the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:3) was that he planned, at the prompting of the people, to bring them back to Gilgal to sacrifice as a massive offering to the Lord (1 Samuel 15:15, 21). It is uncertain whether sacrifice had been an actual plan. But in this moment, Saul seems to indicate he thought God would be pleased with such an offering. He implies that God preferred Saul's choice to the original command of simply killing the livestock in the fields of Amalek (1 Samuel 15:9).

Samuel's response is presented as a poem. He asks a simple question: what makes God happier, self-directed gestures, or submission to His will? Obedience is always better than religious sacrifice. Listening to God's voice and doing what He says is always better than attempting to do "better" or differently from what He has commanded (Leviticus 3:16–17).

Saul's put a higher value on pomp and circumstance of religious ritual than on the simple act of obedience. Religious people have done the same thing in every generation. There's a natural human tendency to indulge in disobedience and rebellion by believing the Lord cares more about rituals and symbolic gestures.

This is a repeated theme in the Bible. Isaiah 1:11–20 and Amos 5:21–27 make clear that sacrifice can be repugnant to God when not accompanied by an obedient heart. Jesus told the Pharisees, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others" (Matthew 23:23). Proverbs 21:3 says, "To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice."

In David's psalm confessing his sin with Bathsheba, he writes, "For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Psalm 51:16–17). Rather than sacrifice to try to earn God's favor, we should come humbly before Him (1 John 1:8—2:6).

In the Old Testament, sacrifice was part of demonstrating one's faith in God and was a temporary provision for sin. But even then, it was empty unless the heart of the worshipper was involved. The sacrifice was meant to demonstrate the proper heart attitude—it was not a bribe for the Lord. In our time, Jesus has made the ultimate sacrifice, as explained in detail in the New Testament book of Hebrews. In placing our trust in Him, our sins are forgiven and we are made new (1 Corinthians 5:17–21; Ephesians 1:3–14). We are called to actively obey God (Philippians 2:12–13). We are to "present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship" (Romans 12:1). Religious deeds will never be a substitute for an obedient relationship with God (John 15:1–11). Rather, our "good works" flow from a right relationship with God (Ephesians 2:1–10).

Instead of sacrifice to appease God or appear righteous before others, the evidence of belief that God wants most to see in His people is obedience to what He says (Matthew 6:1–24; Hebrews 11:6; 1 John 1:6–7; 3:23–24).