Hebrew Bible and Christian Scriptures

After Job loses his kids, his wealth, and his health, he spends several chapters arguing with his friends.  He also directly challenges God.  Towards the end of the book, God speaks and puts Job in his place.  Yet, at the end of the story, we learn that Job is blessed with twice as much stuff as he had before.  What is the reason for this blessing?  Has Job earned blessing by refusing to curse God?  Is more of the Deuteronomic notion that piety produces prosperity?

I wonder if Job is blessed because he had no hope of an afterlife.  Job 16:22 is but one example that indicates that Job did not believe in the possibility of an afterlife.  If this book had been written in the 1st century AD, the book could end without any tangible reward here on earth because there is a promise of a future reward.  However, since there is no afterlife in Job, for the sake of justice, he must be rewarded in this life.

This may not be correct, but it seems plausible to me.

I Chronicles seems to present a very neat and pretty picture of King David.  For example, 11:1 & 12:38 argue that all Israel supported David.  II Samuel seems to indicate that David gained the support of the various clans and tribes over time.  Even under David, there were hints of tribal unrest. 

Also, I Chronicles does not mention of David’s affair with Bathsheba or the forced imprisonment of Saul’s descendent Mephibosheth.  David’s decision to take a census of the people (probably for the purpose of taxation and military conscription) was attributed to Satan. 

The writer of Chronicles was looking back on Israel’s history from the other side of the exile.  This is bound to lead to some level of romanticism and nostalgia as the writer describes the pinnacle of Israel.  However, these writings are a reminder that history is always written from a certain perspective.  It is also a reminder that my own view of history is slanted.