"God desired His people to look to Him alone as their Law-giver and their Source of strength. Feeling their dependence upon God, they would be constantly drawn nearer to Him. They would become elevated and ennobled, fitted for the high destiny to which He had called them as His chosen people. But when a man was placed upon the throne, it would tend to turn the minds of the people from God. They would trust more to human strength, and less to divine power, and the errors of their king would lead them into sin and separate the nation from God. PP 606.1"
"And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them."
The EGW passage directly reflects the sentiment in 1 Samuel 8:7, where the people's desire for a king is seen as a rejection of God's reign. EGW elaborates on the consequences of this rejection, highlighting the shift from divine dependence to reliance on human strength.
"And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee."
Both passages deal with the Israelites' desire for a king and the consequences of rejecting God's direct rule. EGW expands on the spiritual implications of trusting in human leadership rather than God, which is a clear theme in 1 Samuel 8:7-8.
"Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord."
EGW's statement about trusting in God alone as the source of strength directly reflects the principle in Jeremiah 17:5, which warns against trusting in man and departing from the Lord. The connection is that choosing a king represents trusting in human strength rather than divine power.