Hyperlinks

I visited a different church on Sunday and the pastor addressed Biblical messages from a digital perspective which I decided to “borrow” and expand upon.

Early in the sermon he spoke of hyperlinks–you know as you read something online and often certain words and phrases are highlighted in a different color which is an indication if you click on that highlighted word or phrase, you will be connected to a body of information that will detail further what the author of the information thinks you should know.

The pastor’s message suggested that there are hyperlinks all throughout scripture and they are actually available for interpretation. He went on to describe how when we read a passage, certain words will jump off the page at us often provoking deeper thought or bringing inspiration to the reader right from the text. What seems like a key word or phrase for you may in fact be different for me–thus explaining how “Biblical hyperlinks” will vary from person to person.

I think this is a cool concept and and the image of spotting my own hyperlinks in scripture is intriguing to me. Consider the following passages where I have highlighted words that jumped out at me–my own hyperlinks. These are the words I want to consider, think about, ponder.

Let’s explore!

1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Genesis)

20 And God spoke all these words: … “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. … “You shall have no other gods before me … (Exodus)

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans)

⁵ In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. ⁶ Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. ⁷ But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. (Luke)

Of course my question back to you is which words or phrases in the passages are hyperlinks for you?

And my challenge for you as you spend time with the Bible from time to time, is to identify the hyperlinks–those words and phrases that mean the most to you.