מלכים א, פרק י״ח, פסוק י״ח

Responding to the king's accusation, Elijah shifts the blame for the severe drought directly back to the royal family. He draws a sharp distinction between the immediate trigger of the crisis and its actual root cause. While Elijah was indeed the one who decreed that the rain would stop, this was merely a secondary cause and an inevitable consequence. The true, original reason for the punishment lies squarely with the king and his household for abandoning God [אברבנאל, מצודת דוד].

Adding another layer to this defense, [מלבי״ם] explains that the spread of idol worship had already stripped the nation of its spiritual standing, reducing the Israelites to the level of ordinary nations. Because of this, Elijah argues that he did not actually harm the authentic nation of Israel. The real damage was done by the king and his ancestors. By forsaking God's Commandments, the royal family erased the unique identity of the people, which in turn rightfully brought the devastating drought upon them.