"But Samuel replied, " Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." ---1 Samuel 15:22

King Saul had been instructed clearly to attack the Amalekites and to totally destroy everything that belonged to them (v3). Yet, when he went out in battle, he spared Agag, king of the Amalekites, along with the choicest sheep and cattle (v9). He had an excuse for doing so: that he had kept the best to sacrifice to the Lord at Gilgal (v21).

But yet, partial obedience on his part was really blatant disobedience. What the Lord demands from each of us is complete obedience to His Word and instruction. What matters most to Him is not just the outward action of material sacrifice, but that we have a heart that is completely surrendered to Him, and that we present ourselves daily, as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable, as our spiritual act of worship (see Romans 12:1)