1a In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia…

5 So the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone whose spirit God had stirred—prepared to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.

— Ezra 1:1a, 5

A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

— Proverbs 16:9

Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, and the men of valor whose hearts God had touched went with him.

— 1 Samuel 10:26

For God is the One working in you both to will and to work according to His good pleasure.

— Philippians 2:13

But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you

— 2 Corinthians 8:16

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

God continued to move in human hearts as the Israelites’ return to their homeland approached. Not only did the Lord stir a King Cyrus’ heart, He also moved the hearts of some specific exiled Israelites to pack up, join the bend of returnees and leave Babylon. Heads of families from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, along with priests and Levites, prepared to make the move to rebuild the house of the Lord in Jerusalem.

The returnees’s commitment to return to Israel meant a decision to travel 900 miles (about 1,500 km) to reach a destination left in the dust of an enemy conquest. Many Israelites chose to remain in Babylon, where they would enjoy a higher standard of living and less disruption than the returnee band of exiles would encounter. Those who returned to their stripped and desolate homeland faced physical and economic hardship. Their willingness to return was an act of faith and trust in God.