I saw that many in different places, East and West, were adding farm to farm, and land to land, and house to house, and they make the cause of God their excuse, saying they do this that they may help the cause. They shackle themselves so that they can be of but little benefit to the cause. Some buy a piece of land, and labor with all their might to pay for it. Their time is so occupied that they can spare but little time to pray, and serve God, and gain strength from Him to overcome their besetments. They are in debt, and when the cause needs their help they cannot assist; for they must get free from debt first. But as soon as they are free from debt they are farther from helping the cause than before; for they again involve themselves by adding to their property. They flatter themselves that this course is right, that they will use the avails in the cause, when they are actually laying up treasure here. They love the truth in word, but not in work. They love the cause just as much as …
"Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!"
The EGW passage directly echoes the sentiment and even some of the wording of Isaiah 5:8, condemning the accumulation of property at the expense of others and, in EGW's context, the cause of God.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
The EGW passage describes people prioritizing material possessions over spiritual growth and service to God, which directly contradicts the principle of seeking first the kingdom of God as stated in Matthew 6:33. The passage highlights the consequences of not prioritizing God.