"God requires prompt and unquestioning obedience of His law; but men are asleep or paralyzed by the deceptions of Satan, who suggests excuses and subterfuges, and conquers their scruples, saying as he said to Eve in the garden: “Ye shall not surely die.” Disobedience not only hardens the heart and conscience of the guilty one, but it tends to corrupt the faith of others. That which looked very wrong to them at first, gradually loses this appearance by being constantly before them, till finally they question whether it is really sin and unconsciously fall into the same error. 4T 146.1"
"And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:"
EGW directly quotes Genesis 3:4 ('Ye shall not surely die') and explicitly connects it to Satan's deception.
"Neither give place to the devil."
While not a direct quote, the EGW passage discusses how people give way to the deceptions of Satan, which aligns with the general principle of Ephesians 4:27 to not give place to the devil. The connection is thematic, focusing on resisting Satan's influence.
"Through Samuel, God commanded Saul to go and smite the Amalekites and utterly destroy all their possessions. But Saul only partially obeyed the command; he destroyed the inferior cattle, but reserved the best and spared the wicked king. The next day he met the prophet Samuel with flattering self-congratulations. Said he: “Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” But the prophet immediately answered: “What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” 4T 146.2"
"Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass."
The EGW passage directly recounts and quotes from the biblical narrative of Saul and the Amalekites, making it an explicit allusion rather than just a thematic parallel.
"Saul was confused and sought to shirk responsibility by answering: “ They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.” Samuel then reproved the king, reminding him of the explicit command of God directing him to destroy all things belonging to Amalek. He pointed out his transgression and declared that he had disobeyed the Lord. But Saul refused to acknowledge that he had done wrong; he again excused his sin by pleading that he had reserved the best cattle to sacrifice unto the Lord. 4T 146.3"
"But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal."
This EGW passage continues the direct retelling and quoting of the 1 Samuel 15 narrative, specifically focusing on Saul's excuse for sparing the best of the livestock. It's a clear and direct reference.
"He sorrowfully asked: “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king.” 4T 146.4"
"And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."
The EGW passage directly quotes Samuel's rebuke to Saul, including the famous line about obedience being better than sacrifice. This is a clear and direct allusion.