I finished Nehemiah last night and found a couple more reasons to like the guy. After the walls of Jerusalem were completed, he saw that the law regarding the sabbath was not being obeyed, and vendors were working and selling on the sabbath. So he ordered the gates to be closed, and the vendors then set up outside the gates. Uh uh, no you didn't. In 13:21 we see Nehemiah's response to this:
But I warned them and said to them, "Why do you lodge outside the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you." From that time on they did not come on the Sabbath.
Nice. Very diplomatic with "I will lay hands on you." Then we see the law forbidding Jews to intermarry being flouted, and things get really nasty in 13:25:
And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take oath in the name of God, saying, "You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.
Do not make Nehemiah angry. You won't like him when he's angry.
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