In "The Problem of Pain," C.S. Lewis posits, "Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world." Elihu would seem to agree.
After lambasting Job's friends in chapter 32, Elihu now turns his attention to Job himself. Elihu promises that he will speak true and sincere words, and that Job does not need to fear him since he is a man just like Job (vs. 1-7)
Elihu first recounts the thrust of Job's argument in verses 8-11, that he has suffered unjustly at the hands of God because he is an innocent man. This conclustion, however, Elihu rejects (vs. 12).
One of Job's complaints has been God's silence. Job has desired an audience with the Almighty and feels he has gotten none. But Elihu begs to differ (vs. 13-14). He contends that God actually speaks to his human creatures in two distinct ways: through nightmares (vs. 15-18) and through pain (vs. 19-22).
In both cases, God brings terrors and suffering upon people for the same reason - to turn them from the destruction that their wickedness is leading them to. Elihu believes that God is speaking in order to rescue and redeem His people.
Elihu may have a good point that suffering isn't just all about punishment but may also be about correction. However, implicit in his argument is the necessary condition that Job's pain is still his own fault - he is only suffering because God is trying to turn him around. We the readers are aware that there is more to the story than young Elihu knows.
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