"Brother B, you are not as these men. We would not compare you to them, but we would say: Beware of walking in their footsteps and of having your conversation with covetousness. This desire on the part of ministers to obtain means for selfish purposes is a snare to them, which, if they continue in, will prove their overthrow. As they get their eyes upon self, their interest in the prosperity of God's cause, and their love for poor souls, become less and less. They do not lose their love for, and interest in, the truth at once. Their departure from the cause of right is so gradual and imperceptible that it is frequently difficult to tell the time when the change in them took place. 2T 626.1"
"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
The EGW passage directly references and expands upon the principle in Hebrews 13:5, warning against covetousness and encouraging contentment. The phrase "Beware of walking in their footsteps and of having your conversation with covetousness" is a clear echo of the biblical verse.
"Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;"
The EGW passage directly addresses the issue of covetousness in ministers, which aligns with the warning against being "greedy of filthy lucre" in 1 Timothy 3:3. The principle is the same: avoiding greed and prioritizing spiritual matters.
I think your course highly dangerous. You have not felt the necessity of heeding the light which God has given you, and arousing yourself to save your family, acquitting yourself as a father and priest of your household. You did not deny the light given, you did not rise up against it; but you neglected to carry it out because it was not convenient and agreeable to your feelings to do this. Therefore you were like Meroz. You came not up to the help of the Lord, although the matter was of so vital consequence as to affect the eternal interests of your children. You neglected your duty. In this respect you were a slothful servant. You have but little sense of how God regards the neglect of parents to discipline their children. Had you reformed here, you would have seen the necessity of the same effort to maintain discipline and order in the church. Your slackness in your family has been seen also in your labors in the church. You cannot build up the church until you are a transformed man…
"Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty."
The EGW passage explicitly mentions Meroz and directly quotes the reason for the curse: "You came not up to the help of the Lord." This is a clear and direct allusion to Judges 5:23.
"But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."
The EGW passage discusses the man's failure to care for his family and household, drawing a parallel to his lack of spiritual leadership. This aligns with the principle in 1 Timothy 5:8 that those who do not provide for their own household have denied the faith.