Treasure Hunt

The thrill of discovery. This is why we all love a good treasure hunt, word-search puzzle, or Sudoku game. We LOVE making connections and seeing things in other contexts. Our brains are hardwired to reward us when we make these connections.

Our study time in God’s word is the greatest of great Treasure Hunts. With time and a few helpful tools, we can make connections and unearth treasures that will enrich our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Cross References

One of the best, if not the best tools we have for Bible Study are cross-references. These are references that preachers, teachers, bible publishers, and book authors supply to aid in the study of a particular passage or topic.

The best ones though are the ones you find yourself. After years of reading your bible, I’m sure you’ve seen connections that didn’t make it into the center column of your Bible. 

Where to Find Cross References

Center-Column References

The easiest place to find cross-references, if you have a center-column reference bible is right there next to the words of Scripture. Not all cross-reference systems are created equally, but they are an excellent place to start. I have found almost every reference bible I have owned to be helpful.

Concordance

Many Bibles have some kind of concordance in the back. This can be helpful if you are looking into a particular topic or you know at least a word or two of the verse you are trying to find.

“The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge”

This single volume of my library is the most important to me. I have the physical book and don’t consider an electronic Bible study platform complete if they don’t offer it (and preferably include it for free, the original is now in the public domain). 

The value of this resource is the number and quality of references. It lists references in the context of the verse, making it very space conscious. And it will most often catch both related verses and sources for quotations.

How to Use Cross References

The use of cross-references will depend on your tool, but most will have an indicator next to the word or phrase that points you to the center column for the references. In “The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge” you would look up the verse in the text then find related references in line with the text of the verse.

Read the Related Verse

It’s a simple as that. Find the reference, look up the verse, connections made. The power of this tool isn’t in complexity but in connection. Being able to connect a quote with its scriptural source can give some valuable context, and finding other usages of the same word or places where the topic is mentioned will bring depth to your study of God’s Word.

Look at the Context. 

There is a real danger in using cross-references without consulting the context. In fact, unless I know the passage well, I will not use a reference in preaching or teaching unless I have reread the context to make sure I am staying true to the Bible in how I use it.

Demonstration

This week I was reading in Luke 19, and verses 45 and 46 jumped out at me.

45 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; 
46 Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves. 
Luke 19:45–46 

I knew this account was in at least one of the other gospels but I couldn’t remember for sure which one, and I thought there were at least one of the gospel accounts that mentioned Jesus cleansing the temple earlier in His ministry.

So, I went to my center column and found a note mentioning Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-17; and John 2:13-17. 

Matthew and Mark record the same event as Luke, but John recorded the first cleansing. Nothing had changed in how the Jews treated God’s “house of prayer” from the first year of Jesus’ ministry to the last.

The center column also mentioned what passages Jesus was quoting in His rebuke. Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11 are the sources. I’ll leave it to you to study these passages for further insights.

I give this illustration to show that without even having to open another tool or search google for anything cross-references can be helpful in gaining insight into a biblical account, quotation, or topic.

There are many more buried treasures waiting to be uncovered as you faithfully search the scriptures.

Your Turn

Tomorrow morning in your Bible reading time, pay attention to the cross-references in your Bible if you have them. Take a minute to look up a few of them and get an idea of what they are saying in context.

If you don’t have a reference bible, look at E-Sword for the computer or Tecarta Bible online. Both of these resources (and many others) have some cross-references to help get you started.

Don’t leave the treasure buried. Record any thoughts that you have in a notebook or bible note on your phone where you can find them easily to help you in your future study.

In the Comments let me know some connections you’ve found in cross-references.