Called Through Suffering: Purpose and Direction in Job 36

Then Elihu spoke once more. Wait a little and let me hold forth;There is still more to say for God. I will make my opinions widely known;I will justify my Maker. In truth, my words are not false;Someone of sound opinions is before you. See, God is mighty, but not contemptuous—Mighty in strength and mind— Not letting the wicked live,granting justice to the lowly. God’s eyes are trained upon the righteous,And upon kings on thrones;For they are seated forever, and exalted. If they are bound in shacklesAnd caught in trammels of affliction, [God] declares to them what they have done,And that their transgressions are excessive— Opening their understanding by discipline,And ordering them back from mischief. If they will serve obediently,They shall spend their days in happiness,Their years in delight. But if they are not obedient,They shall perish by the sword,Die for lack of understanding. But the impious in heart become enraged;They do not cry for help when afflicted. They die in their youth;[Expire] among the depraved. Rescuing the lowly from their affliction,[God] opens their understanding through distress. Indeed, you are drawn away from the brink of distressTo a broad place where there is no constraint;Your table is laid out with rich food. You are obsessed with the case of someone wicked,But the justice of the case will be upheld. Let anger at his affluence not mislead you;Let much bribery not turn you aside. Will your limitless wealth avail you, All your powerful efforts? Do not long for the nightWhen peoples vanish where they are. Beware! Do not turn to mischief;Because of that you have been tried by affliction. See, God is beyond reach in divine power;Who governs like this? Who ever reproached [God] on account of conduct?Who ever said, “You have done wrong”? Remember, then, to magnify God’s work,Of which humankind has sung, Which all have beheld,Mortals have seen, from a distance. See, God is greater than we can know—Whose age in years cannot be counted— Who forms the droplets of water,Which cluster into rain, from celestial mist. The skies rain;They pour down on all humankind. Can one, indeed, contemplate the expanse of clouds,The thunderings from God’s pavilion? See, with the lightning spread over it,It fills the bed of the sea. By these things peoples are controlled;Food is given in abundance. Lightning fills God’s hands,Who orders it to hit the mark. Its noise tells of its Source.The kindling of anger against iniquity.

Job 36 is the hinge in Elihu's speeches where divine purpose is unveiled: God is mighty yet just, and He uses affliction not to destroy the righteous but to instruct, reposition, and call them back from mischief toward obedient service. Calling here is not comfort—it is formation through discipline.