Application to the Jewish N ation When Christ gave the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, there were many in the Jewish nation in the pitiable condition of the rich man, using the Lord's goods for selfish gratification, preparing themselves to hear the sentence, “Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.” Daniel 5:27 . The rich man was favored with every temporal and spiritual blessing, but he refused to cooperate with God in the use of these blessings. Thus it was with the Jewish nation. The Lord had made the Jews the depositaries of sacred truth. He had appointed them stewards of His grace. He had given them every spiritual and temporal advantage, and He called upon them to impart these blessings. Special instruction had been given them in regard to their treatment of their brethren who had fallen into decay, of the stranger within their gates, and of the poor among them. They were not to seek to gain everything for their own advantage, but were to remember those in …
"TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting."
EGW directly quotes Daniel 5:27 and applies it to the Jewish nation, making it a clear explicit allusion.
"They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?"
Ellen White directly references John 8:33 in this passage.
"world, dishonor their Maker. Robbery of God is written opposite their names in the books of heaven. COL 266.2 The rich man had all that money could procure, but he did not possess the riches that would have kept his account right with God. He had lived as if all that he possessed were his own. He had neglected the call of God and the claims of the suffering poor. But at length there comes a call which he cannot neglect. By a power which he cannot question or resist he is commanded to quit the premises of which he is no longer steward. The once-rich man is reduced to hopeless poverty. The robe of Christ's righteousness, woven in the loom of heaven, can never cover him. He who once wore the richest purple, the finest linen, is reduced to nakedness. His probation is ended. He brought nothing into the world, and he can take nothing out of it. COL 267.1"
"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings."
While not a direct quote, the passage echoes the theme of robbing God by withholding what is due to Him, and the consequences of such actions. The reference to 'Robbery of God' is a strong indicator.
"Christ lifted the curtain and presented this picture before priests and rulers, scribes and Pharisees. Look at it, you who are rich in this world's goods and are not rich toward God. Will you not contemplate this scene? That which is highly esteemed among men is abhorrent in the sight of God. Christ asks, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Mark 8:36, 37 . COL 267.2"
"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
EGW directly quotes Mark 8:36 and uses it to emphasize the importance of spiritual riches over worldly possessions.
"And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God."
EGW directly quotes Mark 8:36,37, which is thematically linked to Luke 16:15. The connection is strong and intentional.