1 Samuel 15:22
20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the Lord! I went on the campaign the Lord sent me on. I brought back King Agag of the Amalekites after exterminating the Amalekites. 21 But the army took from the plunder some of the sheep and cattle—the best of what was to be slaughtered—to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” 22 Then Samuel said, “Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as he does in obedience? Certainly, obedience is better than sacrifice; paying attention is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and presumption is like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the Lord’s orders, he has rejected you from being king.” 24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have disobeyed what the Lord commanded and your words as well. For I was afraid of the army, and I obeyed their voice.
Psalm 40:6
4 How blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord and does not seek help from the proud or from liars. 5 O Lord, my God, you have accomplished many things; you have done amazing things and carried out your purposes for us. No one can thwart you. I want to declare your deeds and talk about them, but they are too numerous to recount. 6 Receiving sacrifices and offerings are not your primary concern. Ears you hollowed out for me.18 You do not ask for burnt sacrifices and sin offerings. 7 Then I say, “Look, I come! What is written in the scroll pertains to me. 8 I want to do what pleases you, my God. Your law dominates my thoughts.”
Notes and References
"... Psalm 40:1-5: Expressing awed astonishment, the psalmist testifies to the wonders God has done (verse 5). The usual procedure to celebrate thanksgiving for a deliverance was to make sacrifice and offering in the temple. Verse 6 uses four words from the sacrificial system: sacrifice, a shared offering of animals, with part retained to be eaten by those bringing the offering; offering, a present of grain or animal; burnt offering, entirely consumed on the altar; and sin offering, mostly returned to the priest. In the prophetic tradition, however, the psalmist states God’s preference for obedience over the oblation of animals and grain (1 Samuel 15:22; Psalm 51:16-17; Isaiah 1:11-17; Jeremiah 7:21-28; Hosea 6:6; Amos 5:21-24; Micah 6:6-8). Does this psalm repudiate the sacrificial system? Or is it more likely a reinterpretation, a call to obedience as more important than sacrifice? Was this the offering of thanksgiving and praise that God desires (Psalm 50:14, 23)? Some interpreters see the rejection of sacrifice presupposing the destruction of the temple and the exile, in contrast to the time when worshippers were invited to bring burnt offerings to the house of the LORD (Psalm 66:13-15) ..."
Waltner, James H. Psalms (pp. 207-208) Herald Press, 2006