1 Samuel 16:2
And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord.
Cross-reference
1 Samuel 20:29 has David using a family sacrifice as a pretext to flee — mirroring Samuel's use of a sacrifice to conceal his anointing of David.
In 1 Samuel 20:6, David uses a family sacrifice as a pretext, mirroring God's instruction here to use a sacrifice as cover.
1 Samuel 9:12 describes a genuine sacrifice Samuel attends — here he uses a sacrifice as a cover, showing a shift from real to pretext.
Exodus 3:11 shows Moses also objecting to God's commission — both prophets fear the danger of their mission.
In 1 Kings 18:9-14, Obadiah similarly fears the king will kill him — both face danger from a threatened king.
In 2 Kings 9:3, Elisha sends a prophet to anoint Jehu secretly, echoing Samuel's clandestine anointing of David here.
In 2 Samuel 15:7, Absalom uses a vow as religious pretext for rebellion, contrasting God's righteous use of a sacrifice here.
Jeremiah 38:26 instructs Jeremiah to give a false reason to officials — similar to Samuel being told to use a sacrifice as a cover to avoid danger.