Nehemiah 7

This chapter begins Part 2, the restoration of the city and the people, now that the restoration of the wall had been completed in Part 1 (Chp 1-6).    The first thing Nehemiah does is appoint those who serve in the temple (gatekeepers, musicians, and Levites), showing that worship was a priority.   He appointed leaders, described as having integrity and fearing God; and gave instructions for the protection of the city.   He also listened as God put it on his heart to address the situation of very few people living in Jerusalem, and decided to register the people by families.  He started with the genealogical record of those who returned from captivity in the first group led by Zerubbabel  (essentially the same as those listed in Ezra 2).