Now then we know from our Bibles that Moses went to the land of Midian. He found himself running from the land of Egypt after he killed a man and became as a consequence wanted by the Egyptian authorities. So the text tells us. And in those lands of Midian, remember on his way coming down from Egypt, he met Zepporah and her father Jethro. Now Jethro must have known about SoNiNis mountain, and would have told Moses where the mountain of the Great One was, while he was training to go from a Sheepherder to a Shepherd of People. But with the information we know about the burnt mountain in Namibia, where was Midian? Lets dive !
Now we know this of the Land of Midian, that Abraham married a woman named Keturah (after Sarah died), he bore him 6 sons, Zimran, Jokhsan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah (Genesis 25,1-2). We find here that the forth son Midian, had five sons Ephap, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah (Genensis 25,4 and Chronicles 1,33). Now their way of life, being shepherds and nomads, gave them in their aftermath a nickname in Midianites, distant relatives of the Bantus of The Promised Land and you could argue oppressors of the Bantus (if we read Judge 6,2).
Now, if we read our Bibles and follow the other places already mapped, we find that these are the lands that Moses fled to when running from Egyptian Authorities (or parts of Angola / Zambia ) after the Egyptian got killed (Exodus 2,15), by his hand. Now we know that SoNiNis mountain was said to be located in Midian. Now its difficult to find it in our Scriptures, so it its not certain that the ancient old Midianites stayed in this area or went to Edom or close by Paran. Because we see by the time of the Book of Judges we see they had located to the East of Gilead (1 Kings 11,18). Now dont bother to much with todays borders as we know they are modern and deeply colonial, this is just for people that has never travelled these areas, to have a mere idea of where these lands actually were located. Midian would have spilled over into Botswana and Angola for sure.
Now Moses married Zipporah a daughter of a priest of Midian (Exodus 2,15-21):
11 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and saw their forced labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsfolk. 12 He looked this way and that, and seeing no one he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 When he went out the next day, he saw two Hebrews fighting; and he said to the one who was in the wrong, “Why do you strike your fellow Hebrew?” 14 He answered, “Who made you a ruler and judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “Surely the thing is known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses.
But Moses fled from Pharaoh. He settled in the land of Midian, and sat down by a well. 16 The priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 But some shepherds came and drove them away. Moses got up and came to their defence and watered their flock.
Furthermore in Exodus 18,1:
Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that SoNiNi had done for Moses and for his people Israel, how SoNiNi had brought Israel out of Egypt.
Now Moses stayed here in Midian, tending his flock of sheep until SoNiNi appeared to him in a burning bush and told him to get Israel out of the bondage and slavery in Egypt (Exodus 3,1-10). Now if you continue read the story of Moses and Jethro, you will see that Moses did get wisdom and guidance from Jethro (Exodus 18,17-24). The scene where Moses is visited in the wilderness, the father-in-law saw that Moses carried a heavy burden and gives him some suggestions (Exodus 18,10-12):
10 Jethro said, “Blessed be SoNiNi, who has delivered you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh. 11 Now I know that SoNiNi is greater than all gods, because He delivered the people from the Egyptians, when they dealt arrogantly with them.” 12 And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to SoNiNi; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of SoNiNi naNiNi.
We see here that Jethro was indeed converted and believed, when he saw how the People was freed from Egypt. It seem he did serve the Midianate gods and was even a priest for them, but converted (perhaps on the spot) and made a burned sacrifice to SoNiNi - with all the elders to eat bread with Jethro in the presence of SoNiNi naNiNi. Quite the scene hey.
Now if you continue reading in Exodus, you see that Midian (the Son of Abraham) did partner up with Moab in a premeditated attack on The Bantus. If you go to Numbers 22, we see that Balak (King of the Moabites), he came together with the elders of Midian to get a hold of a prophet for hire, yes they were in business back in the day as well. His name was Balaam (a proper modern sangoma), and was hired to put a curse on The Bantus from Midian and Moab. And now get this, although Balaam was greedy for the money offered by King Balak, Balaam could only prophecy the truth as SoNiNi spoke to him. If we read Judges, we see that Midian could be associated as enemies of ancient Israel (Judges 6,33). And because of their refusal to obey they were handed over to the Midianites for 7 years (Judges 6,1). Now it was in this time that SoNiNi raised up a leader named Gideon (Jerubbal) who conquered the Midianites with an army of only 300 men (sound familiar right...Spartans were even a little bit to late to the 300 party, already been done by Hebrews). In these verses SoNiNi had Gideon reduce his army from thousands to only 300 men, so that no glory would be taken from SoNiNi but rather, He would receive all due credit for a victory with such a small force, as we can read in Judges 7,2-14:
2 SoNiNi said to Gideon, “The troops with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand. Israel would only take the credit away from me, saying, ‘My own hand has delivered me.’ 3 Now therefore proclaim this in the hearing of the troops, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home.’” Thus Gideon sifted them out; twenty-two thousand returned, and ten thousand remained.
4 Then SoNiNi said to Gideon, “The troops are still too many; take them down to the water and I will sift them out for you there. When I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you; and when I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” 5 So he brought the troops down to the water; and SoNiNi said to Gideon, “All those who lap the water with their tongues, as a dog laps, you shall put to one side; all those who kneel down to drink, putting their hands to their mouths,[c] you shall put to the other side.” 6 The number of those that lapped was three hundred; but all the rest of the troops knelt down to drink water. 7 Then SoNiNi said to Gideon, “With the three hundred that lapped I will deliver you, and give the Midianites into your hand. Let all the others go to their homes.” 8 So he took the jars of the troops from their hands,[d] and their trumpets; and he sent all the rest of Israel back to their own tents, but retained the three hundred. The camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
We can read furthermore that Ephraim brought the heads of Midians leaders, Oreb and Zeeb, and brought them to Gideon, SoNiNi was their defender (Judges 7,2-25). Now one of SoNiNis final instructions to Moses was about the Midianites in Numbers 31,1-12:
31 SoNiNi spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Avenge the Israelites on the Midianites; afterward you shall be gathered to your people.” 3 So Moses said to the people, “Arm some of your number for the war, so that they may go against Midian, to execute SoNiNi’s vengeance on Midian. 4 You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war.” 5 So out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe were conscripted, twelve thousand armed for battle. 6 Moses sent them to the war, a thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for sounding the alarm in his hand.
7 They did battle against Midian, as SoNiNi had commanded Moses, and killed every male. 8 They killed the kings of Midian: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian, in addition to others who were slain by them; and they also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. 9 The Israelites took the women of Midian and their little ones captive; and they took all their cattle, their flocks, and all their goods as booty. 10 All their towns where they had settled, and all their encampments, they burned, 11 but they took all the spoil and all the booty, both people and animals. 12 Then they brought the captives and the booty and the spoil to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the Israelites, at the camp on the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.
We see here, take vengeance on the Midianites for (or on account of) the Israelites (Numbers 31,1), SoNiNi used the wickedness of the Midianites to punish Israel, as the same today He is using other people EVEN in the land given to His People, to punish them because they have gone after other gods and left the Commandments. So in fact He uses his peoples wickedness against them. Today its British and Boers are races of people being used against Abrahams people. This is certainly to have The People see their ways, but still they do not want to turn from their ways of witchcraft. And quote you Amorite proverbs like Kindness is weakness, take is the right of a man... You can try to understand some of the old Biblical and tribal mindsets better. No wonder SoNiNi said He hated some of their practises.
We see again and again in Scriptures, SoNiNi used Pharaohs stubborn heart to bring judgement to Egypt on account of their cruel treatments (Exodus 7,3-5). Then SoNiNi used the Babylonians to punish His people because of them following other gods than Him (Jeremia 25,7-11 & Isaiah 13,19). And again we see SoNiNi used the Midianites as He needed them. First Midian was Moses sanctuary from Egypt, then to punish His People and then the Midianites was destroyed fro their evil ways (Isaiah 46,9-11).
Now we may deduce that the Midianites and the Moabites did worship the same set of deities, like Baal-Peor and Baalam and Ashteroth (Queen of Heaven). Now during these episodes in our Scriptures we find that a Midianate woman named Cozbi did seduce Zimri, son of a Simeonite chief. They got impaled by Phinehas (along with ALL the virgin females). Now udring the times of Judges, we see that The Promised Land was oppressed by Midian for seven years UNTIL Gideon defeated the Midian armies.
Furthermore Isaiah speaks of the camels or animals of transport that would come from Midian and Ephah, to cover the land, and with Gold and Frankincense from Sheba (Isaiah 60,6):
"A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of SoNiNi naNiNi."