"David had neglected the duty of punishing the crime of Amnon, and because of the unfaithfulness of the king and father and the impenitence of the son, the Lord permitted events to take their natural course, and did not restrain Absalom. When parents or rulers neglect the duty of punishing iniquity, God Himself will take the case in hand. His restraining power will be in a measure removed from the agencies of evil, so that a train of circumstances will arise which will punish sin with sin. PP 728.1"
"The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation."
Both passages address the consequences of neglecting to punish iniquity. The EGW passage suggests that God may remove His restraining power, leading to further sin, while Numbers 14:18 speaks of God visiting iniquity upon future generations. Both highlight the repercussions of unaddressed sin.
"the inextricable evils in which the king had come to be involved. Absalom, energetic, ambitious, and unprincipled, shut out by his exile from participation in the affairs of the kingdom, soon gave himself up to dangerous scheming. PP 728.2"
"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."
The EGW passage describes Absalom's scheming as a consequence of David's actions and Absalom's character. This aligns with the principle of reaping what you sow, as stated in Galatians 6:7. Absalom's actions are presented as a result of the situation he found himself in, echoing the idea that actions have consequences.
"At the close of two years Joab determined to effect a reconciliation between the father and his son. And with this object in view he secured the services of a woman of Tekoah, reputed for wisdom. Instructed by Joab, the woman represented herself to David as a widow whose two sons had been her only comfort and support. In a quarrel one of these had slain the other, and now all the relatives of the family demanded that the survivor should be given up to the avenger of blood. “And so,” said the mother, “they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth.” The king's feelings were touched by this appeal, and he assured the woman of the royal protection for her son. PP 728.3"
"And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth."
The EGW passage directly quotes and paraphrases 2 Samuel 14:7, recounting the story of the woman of Tekoah and her plea to David.
"After drawing from him repeated promises for the young man's safety, she entreated the king's forbearance, declaring that he had spoken as one at fault, in that he did not fetch home again his banished. “For,” she said, “we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person; yet doth He devise means, that His banished be not expelled from Him .” This tender and touching portrayal of the love of God toward the sinner—coming as it did from Joab, the rude soldier—is a striking evidence of the familiarity of the Israelites with the great truths of redemption. The king, feeling his own need of God's mercy, could not resist this appeal. To Joab the command was given, “Go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.” PP 728.4"
"For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him."
The EGW passage directly quotes 2 Samuel 14:14, highlighting the woman of Tekoah's portrayal of God's love and desire for reconciliation.