godliness; but they had not professed to serve God. They made no boastful pretensions to goodness. They were blind to the works and ways of God. With them the time of figs was not yet. They were still waiting for a day which would bring them light and hope. The Jews, who had received greater blessings from God, were held accountable for their abuse of these gifts. The privileges of which they boasted only increased their guilt. DA 583.1 Jesus had come to the fig tree hungry, to find food. So He had come to Israel, hungering to find in them the fruits of righteousness. He had lavished on them His gifts, that they might bear fruit for the blessing of the world. Every opportunity and privilege had been granted them, and in return He sought their sympathy and co- operation in His work of grace. He longed to see in them self-sacrifice and compassion, zeal for God, and a deep yearning of soul for the salvation of their fellow men. Had they kept the law of God, they would have done the same u…
"O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help."
Ellen White directly references Hosea 13:9 in this passage.
"Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof."
Both passages discuss the lack of fruitfulness in Israel and the consequences thereof. EGW directly connects the cursing of the fig tree to Israel's spiritual state, echoing the sentiment in Matthew 21:43 about the kingdom being taken from those not bearing fruit.