The Israelites were encamped by the sea when Pharaoh was told the Hebrew slaves had fled and were wandering in the wilderness. Pharaoh took his best six hundred chariots and pursued the Israelites. The use of chariots by Egypt at this time is well documented. The chariots were used a moving platform for archers who could load, aim and shoot while moving at full speed. This was a huge advantage and a useful addition to battle strategy.

But, this reality that Pharaoh brought to the game this day does not alter the reality that Yahweh has demonstrated over the last twelve months with signs, plagues, fulfilled words of promise and a mighty exodus out of Egypt as predicted. Why question Yahwah’s reality? Why fear Pharaoh who has failed repeatedly with his attempt to advance his own plan and his own interpretation of reality. Why cry out to the Lord? Why stop and perish?

Moses is told to tell the Israelites to nasa (Hebrew) which means, “Journey!” or “move on.” Don’t stop and fear. Move! Don’t analyze your situation in the frame of Pharaoh’s failed reality. Instead begin to frame your reality with the boundaries God has established, and from that perspective analyze your situation and consider your options! Do not let Pharaoh’s narrow view of reality limit the potential available to you in Yahweh’s universe!

In 732 Charles Martel was the ruler of the Germanic tribe called the Franks. The Franks had taken Gaul in 355 and converted to Christianity.  In 622 the prophet Muhammad fled to Medina and by the time he died in 632 Muhammad had control of the Arabian Peninsula.  Muslims controlled Syria and Israel by 636 and by 697 they possessed Carthage as Muslims marched across the north coast of Africa. In 711 Muslims crossed the Strait of Gibraltar into Europe from Africa to take Spain. Islam was ready to take Europe next. If the Muslim conquest had gone into Europe history would have been radically different and the influence of Christianity would not have transformed Europe as it did. In October of 732 Charles Martel met the Muslim General Abd-er-Rahman in Frankish territory near Tours, France and defeated him in a series of battles. The Muslim advance into Europe was stopped in 732.