Deuteronomy 5:1–21, the 10 “Words“, with special emphasis on the second “word”, “you shall have no other gods before me”, and a little bit on the fourth “word”, “remember the sabbath day by keeping it holy”. Matthew 8:18 – 34, someone says to Jesus, I will follow you wherever you go. Jesus says to another follow me. Jesus’ dealing with both these would be followers needs some explaining.

Deuteronomy 4:21–40, Moses sums up before getting specific: do not corrupt God‘s word, do not worship creatures as God, and acknowledge that there is only one God! Matthew 8:1–17, Jesus heals an unclean leper, cleanses an unclean gentile, and heels a multitude who have come to Him.

Deuteronomy 4:1–20, Moses exhort the people to hold the words of God dear! Matthew 7:13–29, Jesus exhort his disciples to hold His words dear!

Deuteronomy 3:1–29, the terrible judgment of the Lord on the Canaanites, and the apportionment of the land among the first three tribes. Matthew 7:1–12, do not judge, and do not cast your pearls before swine. What??

Deuteronomy 1:37–2:15, we finish the story of Israel’s refusal to go into the promised land, and jump forward 38 years, as they pass through certain lands, that the Lord is NOT giving them, on the way to the land that He IS giving them. Matthew 6:1–15, yesterday we talked about the morality of the new covenant kingdom, today, we talk about religious practices of the new covenant kingdom.

Deuteronomy 1:19–36, what should’ve been a straightforward move from the foot of Mount Sinai into the promised land, becomes a nearly 40 year period of waiting and striving and spiritual discipline in the wilderness. Such is life with God! Matthew 5:21–48, the fulfiller, and transformer of the law explains its original and true meaning to the citizens of the new covenant kingdom.

Deuteronomy 1:1–18, Moses, on the plains of Moab, explains and summarizes and goes over again all that God had commanded his people over the last 40 years. Matthew 5:1–20, we are introduced to Jesus’ actual teaching methods and contents, as he describes for us the character of the citizens of the kingdom of God.

Malachi 3:6–4:6, the Lord does not change like we do, and because of that, we are not consumed! Plus, a prediction about the fearsome day of the Lord, and the coming of Elijah to prepare us for it. Matthew 4:12–25, Jesus’ Galilean ministry of miracles and preaching, the calling of disciples and his great fame is described for us.

Malachi 2:1–3:5, Malachi continues his critique of the priests, then critiques ordinary Israelites for marrying unbelievers, or for divorcing their believing wives, and then makes an awesome and terrifying promise – the Lord himself is coming to his temple. Matthew 4:1–11, Jesus is lead into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, and in this way to prove himself as the worthy messenger of the new covenant.