"But all the things that God would have us do are hard for us to do—remember that—and hence, he oftener commands us than endeavors to persuade. And if we obey God, we must disobey ourselves; and it is in this disobeying ourselves, wherein the hardness of obeying God consists."
Musing: The famous Father Mapple begins his sermon with many of the themes that will run through the book. Starbuck, in particular, faces the challenge of obeying God or listening to his own gut. In obeying God, Starbuck leaves Ahab to destroy the Pequod. Like everything else in the book, nothing is cut and dry. But, the if ideal is that we must listen to God's commands first, then let's see how that plays out throughout Moby Dick.