What better book for a Sunday Sermon than Herman Melville’s
immortal “Moby Dick”. So many people complain about having to read this book in
high school and college classes. I have even heard it referred to as being
irrelevant. What a shame!
This book has grown more relevant with each passing
year since it was first released in 1851. Though unappreciated when it was
first released, over time it has become recognized as a true classic with a
real message about human frailty and vengeance.
The story of Ishmael, the novice whaler, and his journey
through an immoral and indifferent world has never lost its relevancy or its
bite. We still live in a world of Ahab’s chasing personifications of Evil,
mostly to the detriment of the innocent.
The questions raised within this book are timeless and
universal. Who has the right to Vengeance? Is it the provenance of the man
afflicted by Evil? Or does Vengeance truly belong to a Power larger than
ourselves?
As a literary gem, this book is still worth the time it
takes to read it. From the naming of Ishmael as the principal character, to the
Resurrection of the coffin after the Apocalyptic battle between Ahab and the
Whale, the book is filled with references to Scripture and the lessons within.
Perhaps, in our modern world of 60 second sound bites and
fleeting fifteen minute fame, the book seems overly complicated. There are no
special effects; just meaningful words spoken by characters both flawed and
innocent. That alone should make the story both familiar and applicable to just about
everybody you know.
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