"In the issuing of this decree by Artaxerxes, God's providence was manifest. Some discerned this and gladly took advantage of the privilege of returning under circumstances so favorable. A general place of meeting was named, and at the appointed time those who were desirous of going to Jerusalem assembled for the long journey. “I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava,” Ezra says, “and there abode we in tents three days.” Ezra 8:15 . PK 612.1"
"And I gathered them together to the river that runneth to Ahava; and there abode we in tents three days: and I viewed the people, and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi."
Ellen White directly references Ezra 8:15 in this passage.
Ezra had expected that a large number would return to Jerusalem, but the number who responded to the call was disappointingly small. Many who had acquired houses and lands had no desire to sacrifice these possessions. They loved ease and comfort and were well satisfied to remain. Their example proved a hindrance to others who otherwise might have chosen to cast in their lot with those who were advancing by faith. PK 612.2 As Ezra looked over the company assembled, he was surprised to find none of the sons of Levi. Where were the members of the tribe that had been set apart for the sacred service of the temple? To the call, Who is on the Lord's side? the Levites should have been the first to respond. During the captivity, and afterward, they had been granted many privileges. They had enjoyed the fullest liberty to minister to the spiritual needs of their brethren in exile. Synagogues had been built, in which the priests conducted the worship of God and instructed the people. The observa…
"And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life."
Both passages deal with the idea of sacrificing earthly possessions for a greater spiritual purpose. Ezra's disappointment with those unwilling to leave their homes and lands in Babylon mirrors the sentiment in Matthew 19:29 about forsaking possessions for Christ's sake. The EGW passage amplifies the cost of discipleship and the allure of worldly comfort, echoing the principle in Matthew.