Nehemiah... Leadership Matters! Thru the Bible: Nehemiah 9-13 In these final chapters of Nehemiah we see organization, priest led prayer, annointed singer led praise and godly governance regarding spiritual matters. After a concentrated time of honest repentance and dedication to God and His law, it took only a short time for the people to begin to drift from their devotion in the termporary absence of Nehemiah. When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem after going back to serve King Artaxerxes for a short time, he found many points of devotion had already slipped. Upon his return he was not silent about their sin, but addressed it and did something about it. Nehemiah stopped allowing tradesman to enter the city or even congregate outside the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath. He forbid the people to buy, sell or trade on the Sabbath. He removed people of mixed lineage from key positions which were to be filled by pure Jews. He forced the people to take an oath to not intermarry with pagan cultures. He addressed the need for the people to financially support the priest, the Levites and the singers... and more. These chapters are clear proofs of the need for strong, godly leadership! Blessings!