Saturday, February 15th, 2025.
Bible study often includes jumping from this book to that book, from one passage to another, to make connections and gain insight.
But how do you know what connections God wants you to make? How do you know where to jump?
This is where Bible study books, teachers, and cross-reference resources are often called upon to help. They provide verse connections to aid in your study.
Sometimes those connections can be tenuous. Sometimes they are just plain wrong.
A good place to start making connections is with the divinely inspired cross-references in your Bible.
No, I don’t mean the verses in the center column printed by the publisher. I mean where Bible writers reference other scripture.
These are places where God provides you with a Bible connection to study.
Whenever Matthew says, “As it is written,” go back and read the context in the prophets to get better insight.
Jesus often quoted the law, psalms, and the prophets. Study the references. One of the Lord’s final statements on the cross was a quote from Psalm 22 that has provided Bible study for two millennia (read Matt 27:46 and all of Psalm 22 for a good study).
When Paul says, “What saith the scripture?” these are divinely provided connections to help you interpret hard passages. In the notoriously tough Romans 9-11, Paul has dozens of scriptural quotations from Hosea, Isaiah, Psalms, and Deuteronomy which inform you of what he is trying to communicate about Israel.
If you are going to jump to other passages in Bible study, it is always better to let God tell you where to jump.
Man-made cross-reference resources are helpful.
Divinely inspired cross-references are superior.
Study them. God thinks you should.
Let God teach you,
Justin “connecting the dots” Johnson