²² Then Samuel said:

Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
Look: to obey is better than sacrifice,
to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. (1 Samuel 15:22 CSB)

In the Old Testament, the Jewish people would have to sacrifice animals and burn them upon an alter to the Lord. This act of atonement provided forgiveness and the covering of their sins. Furthermore, it created a tangible reminder of the outcome of sin, for the more one sinned the more it cost them in lost livestock.

I think, today, we put too little into the need for tangible evidence of our repentance from sin. We say cursory prayers asking for forgiveness and move on lightly about our day. Luckily, we have a God that provided the sacrifice through His Son. But we should not take this most important sacrifice so lightly. We should look at it as every scar on Christ body was due to something we did wrong in God’s eyes, for all humanity. That is the weight of our sin upon Christ and the gravity of His sacrifice.

Thus, obeying is better than sacrifice. We should be paying more attention to our lifestyles and the weight of our sinful acts. It is better to do this prior to a sinful act and thus turn ourselves away before atonement is needed.