The husbandmen who had been placed in charge of the Lord's vineyard were untrue to their trust. The priests and teachers were not faithful instructors of the people. They did not keep before them the goodness and mercy of God and His claim to their love and service. These husbandmen sought their own glory. They desired to appropriate the fruits of the vineyard. It was their study to attract attention and homage to themselves. COL 292.1 The guilt of these leaders in Israel was not like the guilt of the ordinary sinner. These men stood under the most solemn obligation to God. They had pledged themselves to teach a “Thus saith the Lord” and to bring strict obedience into their practical life. Instead of doing this they were perverting the Scriptures. They laid heavy burdens upon men, enforcing ceremonies that reached to every step in life. The people lived in continual unrest, for they could not fulfill the requirements laid down by the rabbis. As they saw the impossibility of keeping man…
"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings."
The EGW passage discusses the unfaithfulness of the priests and teachers, who were not using their positions to serve God, but rather for their own gain. This aligns with the theme of robbing God in Malachi 3:8, as the priests were not giving God what He was due.
"The Lord had instructed His people that He was the owner of the vineyard, and that all their possessions were given them in trust to be used for Him. But the priests and teachers did not perform the work of their sacred office as if they were handling the property of God. They were systematically robbing Him of the means and facilities entrusted to them for the advancement of His work. Their covetousness and greed caused them to be despised even by the heathen. Thus the Gentile world was given occasion to misinterpret the character of God and the laws of His kingdom. COL 292.3"
"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings."
The EGW passage directly relates to the concept of robbing God by misusing resources entrusted for His work, which is the central theme of Malachi 3:8.
"They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons."
Both passages discuss the vineyard parable and the consequences of mismanaging God's property. EGW expands on the implications of the parable.
"For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written."
Both passages address the idea that the actions of God's people can cause God's name to be blasphemed among non-believers. EGW provides a specific example related to the priests and teachers.