In my last blog, we saw in Exodus 40 : 34 – 38 how the cloud covered the tabernacle and how the Holy spirit is to us today what the cloud was to the Israelites in the wilderness. Continuing on this theme, we see in Numbers 10: 1 – 2 , the Lord instructing Moses to make two trumpets of hammered silver for calling the community to assemble and for signalling the breaking of camp .If we then jump to verse 29 through to verse 31 of Numbers 10 , We see Moses asking his brother in law Hobab, son of Reuel the midianite to be their guide in the wilderness.
One might ask, was the cloud not sufficient for the Israelites? After all, this was God’s manifested presence, yet God still made provision for the trumpets and then Moses still had to

look for a human wilderness guide. This was not a question of whether God was sufficient for them or not, God’s sufficiency is never in question, this is really more to reveal God’s heart towards His children. God desires for us to get to our destination more than we desire it. God desires for you to walk in all of His fullness for you more than you desire for yourself so He always makes extra provisions in every area just to enable you get it and get there.
The cloud represented His presence and nothing can replace that. God’s presence in our lives is what makes all the difference. That’s why we have the Holy Spirit, God living in the inside of us and like I mentioned in the previous blog, when we yield and
listen to the Holy Spirit, we walk in God’s fullness for us. Yet, there are times when we haven’t been sensitive enough to hear Him or we haven’t understood His promptings and He still finds ways to enable us hear him and this is when the trumpets come in.
The cloud was visible and according to the record of when the Israelites left Egypt, they all left healthy and strong ( Psalm 105 : 37 ) , which meant that they could all see the cloud, yet there was a need for God to instruct Moses to make the trumpets. The trumpets were essentially for two reasons : a call to assembly and a signal for breaking of camp, which meant that there were people who still needed to be reminded that the cloud was moving , they still needed to hear something extra to point them towards what they already knew.

God so desires for us live and experience this full life He has made available for us that He sends trumpets ever so often in the form of prophetic words, good teachings, so that if we miss His voice through His word and prompting, we hear Him through confirmations in prophesies, we hear him through the five fold ministries ( Ephesians 4: 11 – 12 ) . Bear in mind that the trumpets never took the place of the cloud as they only sounded when the cloud moved, making them subject to the cloud , so it is , or ought to be today. Prophesies, teachings and every other manifestations are subject to the word and the Holy Spirit . God still guides us through His word and has also made available the five fold ministry to equip us to fulfil His purpose in our lives and here on earth.
So the Israelites had the cloud, they had the trumpets and now Moses still gets a human wilderness guide for the journey.

“Please don’t leave us,” Moses pleaded. “You know the places in the wilderness where we should camp. Come, be our guide.
Numbers 10 : 31 NLT

Please note that Hobab, the midianite was not to replace the cloud, he was not to replace the trumpets, he was a human who knew the area in the wilderness and when the cloud moved and the trumpets sounded, Hobab’s role was to help in the twists and turns not to give direction. We need humans today in our walk with God, not to hear God for us but to show us sometimes how to avoid certain pitfalls . Proverbs 11:14( NLT ) puts it this way

“Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers.”

There is still a place today for counsel. So many people get trapped in unnecessary delays because of the lack of human counsel. There are people who have been where you want to go and simply asking for help in the form of listening to them or watching them is as godly as you following the voice and word of God. Notice that Hobab was not an Israelite, he was a midianite. It is okay to get counsel from a non believer. Don’t shut a door simply because the person does not fit your description of
who can help you. God can bring help through anyone. You may be in a field where the experts are non believers who can help you, do not be afraid to go to them. Hobab may not have been an Israelite but he dwelt among the Israelites, which means he knew and respected God’s ways. Don’t get counsel from someone who despises you and your faith. Who would make a mockery of you rather than help you, that’s in psalm 1:1 rather get counsel from someone who can genuinely help you move from point A to B.
Above all, always seek to hear God for yourself because He is not hidden from You. He wants to be found and He wants the best for you . ( Jeremiah 29 : 13 )

Much blessings