Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem after many years and found that the people had forgotten their covenant with God. They were intermarrying with foreigners, neglecting the tithe, and desecrating the Sabbath. Nehemiah confronted these issues. He forced men to divorce their foreign wives. He restored the room for tithes and offerings, which caused people to start giving their tithes again. Nehemiah also closed the city gates on the Sabbath to prevent the market from operating and desecrating the holy day.