And he said, “Do it a second time.” And they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time.
Ahab and the people expected that Elijah would, in this solemn assembly, bless the land, and pray for rain; but he had other work to do first. The people must be brought to repent and reform, and then they may look for the removal of the judgment, but not till then. This is the right method.
Commenting on 1 Kings 18:21-40
And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice,.... Which the people of God at Jerusalem were now attending to: that Elijah the prophet came near; to the altar he had built, and on which he had laid the sacrifice: and said; in prayer to God: Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the covenant God of the ancestors...
1Ki 18:30-39 Elijah’s sacrifice. - As no answer came from Baal, Elijah began to prepare for his own sacrifice. 1Ki 18:30. He made the people come nearer, that he might have both eye-witnesses and ear-witnesses present at his sacrifice, and restored the altar of Jehovah which was broken down.
Commenting on 1 Kings 18:30-39