My friends and I have questions about I Samuel 16:2. Is there any particular reason Samuel was told to offer a female animal rather than a male animal? Since the Ark was in the possession of the Philistines and the Tabernacle and the Altar for sacrifices had, apparently, ceased to function after Eli and his sons died and the Ark was lost in battle, how and where did the Israelites "do" sacrifices since there was no functioning Tabernacle and The Temple had not yet been built? Samuel was not a priest/Levite so what "kind" (name? category?) of sacrifice was he offering? It almost seems as though he was offering an illegitimate sacrifice "on a high place." How can this be explained? We would appreciate ANY light you can shed on this topic! Thanks for giving us your time!