Reasons to Get a Study Bible

You guys,

Study Bibles are SO AWESOME! (well, not if they are "academic" and the footnotes try to convince you out of believing God tells the truth..ehem.. Oxford Study Bible) Over Christmas break I have rediscovered my confirmation Bible which is an NIV Study Bible. My new affinity for this book (not the Bible itself, but this specific book...although my affinity for His Word has increased because of it as well) is strange for several reasons.
1) I have despised it ever since I realized that I substituted knowing the scripture for highlighting it.
2) Because of this highlighting, I consider it defiled and evidence of my juvenile graffiti
3) This Bible is kinda heavy because anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 of the page is taken up by smaller text filled with...notes!

But here is a more interesting list of reasons why you should also cast off your disdain for heavy study Bibles:
1) Unlike thinner Bibles, they stay open when you turn to a page!
2) They clarify many cultural practices that you as a 21st century human would have no hope of knowing otherwise!
3) You can learn cool things like the divisions of the watches of the night--I got this from reading Psalm 134 and following subsequent notes whereupon I learned this: The Jews divided the night into three watches (sunset-10pm, 10-2am, 2am-sunrise) and the Romans divided the night into four watches (6-9pm, 9-midnight, midnight-3am, 3-6am). Perhaps you think it is arbitrary to divide the night--I mean, why not 8 watches? Well, at Olaf we have a prayer meeting every Tuesday and several times they have gone past midnight and seemed to receive a second wind to intercede for things.
4) I've already alluded to this one, but CROSS REFERENCING! You read something, you think, "what does that actually mean?" and then you can look up another verse that uses the same terminology, etc.

So basically, having a study Bible at your feet enables you to search harder and longer in God's word for your questions. It's not just about a concordance to look up terms. It connects phrases, imagery, and themes for you so that you can ingest the Truth yourself and see how it fits together. Also, it really helps with Revelation.