1 Samuel 15:21 (GNV)

Passage

But the people tooke of the spoyle, sheepe, and oxen, and the chiefest of the things which shoulde haue bene destroyed, to offer vnto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 15:19 Nowe wherefore hast thou not obeyed the voyce of the Lord, but hast turned to the pray, and hast done wickedly in the sight of the Lord?

1 Samuel 15:20 And Saul saide vnto Samuel, Yea, I haue obeyed the voyce of the Lord, and haue gone the way which the Lord sent me, and haue brought Agag the King of Amalek, and haue destroyed the Amalekites.

1 Samuel 15:21 But the people tooke of the spoyle, sheepe, and oxen, and the chiefest of the things which shoulde haue bene destroyed, to offer vnto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.

1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel saide, Hath the Lord as great pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as when the voyce of the Lord is obeyed? beholde, to obey is better then sacrifice, and to hearken is better then the fatte of rammes.

1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sinne of withcraft, and transgression is wickednesse and idolatrie. Because thou hast cast away the worde of the Lord, therefore hee hath cast away thee from being King.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sheep", "people", "tooke", "spoyle", "sheepe", "oxen", "chiefest", and "things". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sheep" and "people", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And Saul saide vnto Samuel Yea I..." into verse 22's "And Samuel saide Hath the Lord as...", so "sheep" and "people" belong inside that flow. In 1 Samuel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "sheep" and "people" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.