.
Later in the book of Job, Job's friends begin to turn their backs on him as well. After his friends try to persuade him to believe that he has done something wrong and also try to make him curse God, he begs them for pity. "Have pity on me, my friends, have pity, for the hand of God has struck me. Why do you pursue me as God does? Will you never get enough of my flesh?" (19:21-22) Job realizes here that his friends - like his wife - aren't there when he needs them. Without his friends and his wife, it was just Job and God, and this suffering resulted in personal growth. It is amazing how much Job got to know himself when he was forced to be alone.
Toward the end of the book of Job we see that his suffering has resulted directly in improvement of his faith as well. Here, Job is speaking with God. "I know that you can do all things; no plans of yours can be thwarted. You asked, "Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?" Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know." (42:2-3) By this point we realize that Job only begins to stop suffering after he acknowledges God as God, regardless of what has happened to him. Here he has the chance to look back. As he does, he realizes that there will be success and improvement from this failure and humility. Not only is he reimbursed with twice his riches, but also he will now live a full life because he realizes what it is like to have nothing and be alone and this makes him a better person. A question that really sticks out in my head about Job's suffering is it if was mostly mental. Job gets off on defending himself before he even realizes that's not God's point. God's reasons for Job's suffering aren't even connected with human justice.
The theme of suffering is quite similar in The Theban Plays of Sophocles. It was odd to me that although these plays were extremely different than the book of Job, they shared the fact that all the suffering was merely the consequence of finding out the truth.
