The Unholy Pursuit of God in Moby Dick

R. C. Sproul looks at the some of the “unparalleled theological symbolism” in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, focusing on the central (though disputed) symbol of the whale.
Sproul rejects the interpretation that Moby Dick is a symbol of monstrous evil and argues instead that it is a symbol of God himself. “In this interpretation, Ahab’s pursuit of the whale is not a righteous pursuit of God but natural man’s futile attempt in his hatred of God to destroy the omnipotent deity.”
He concludes:

If the whale embodies everything that is symbolized by whiteness — that which is terrifying; that which is pure; that which is excellent; that which is horrible and ghastly; that which is mysterious and incomprehensible — does he not embody those traits that are found in the fullness of the perfections in the being of God Himself?
Who can survive the pursuit of such a being if the pursuit is driven by hostility? Only those who have experienced the sweetness of reconciling grace can look at the overwhelming power, sovereignty, and immutability of a transcendent God and find there peace rather than a drive for vengeance. Read Moby Dick, and then read it again.

You can read the whole Tabletalk article here.
Justin Taylor