"Dear Brother and Sister D, While speaking in meeting Sunday afternoon, I could scarcely refrain from calling your names and relating some things which had been shown me. I saw that Brother D did not occupy that position in his family which God would have him. Sister D takes the lead; she possesses a strong will, which has not been subdued as God requires; and in order to please his wife and keep her from despondency, Brother D has yielded to her. Her judgment has swayed him, and he has not been a free man for years. 1T 707.1"
"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing."
The EGW passage directly addresses the principle of the husband's role in the family and the wife's submission, which is a central theme in Ephesians 5:22-24. The connection is strong and reflects a shared understanding of marital roles.
"And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;"
The EGW passage echoes the Genesis account where Adam listened to his wife and disobeyed God. Both passages highlight the danger of a husband yielding to his wife's influence against God's will.
When Brother D first engaged in the work of teaching the truth, he was little in his own eyes, and God used him as His instrument. But I saw that for some time in the past he has not humbled himself under the hand of God. He has trusted to his own wisdom and weak judgment, and Satan has been obtaining an advantage over him. Instead of relying solely upon God, and staying himself upon His strength, he has had his judgment perverted by the influence of his wife. She has stood in a position to see, to hear, to understand, all that was going on around her. Did she possess a sanctified judgment and heavenly wisdom, then would she see through sanctified eyes, and hear through sanctified ears. She would make a right use of her eyes and ears. She has not done this. “Who is blind, but My servant? or deaf, as My messenger that I sent?” God does not wish us to hear all that is to be heard, or to see all that is to be seen. It is a great blessing to close the ears, that we hear not, and the eyes, …
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
The EGW passage directly reflects the principle of trusting in God rather than one's own understanding, as stated in Proverbs 3:5-6. Brother D's reliance on his own wisdom and his wife's influence is contrasted with trusting in God.
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
The EGW passage describes Brother D's failure to humble himself before God, leading to Satan gaining an advantage. This aligns with James 4:7, which calls for submission to God and resistance to the devil. The principle of resisting the devil through submission to God is present in both.