Untitled Sermon (3)
Despite his intent that this be secret, the very next verse states that their presence was known immediately to the king of Jericho. As agents of stealth, they were singularly ineffectual!
the first Canaanite convert to a belief in Israel’s God
Chapter 2, where most of the action takes place in Jericho, naturally anticipates chap. 6, where Jericho is actually taken. It also forms a contrast with chap. 7, where Israel’s unfaithfulness is exemplified by Achan’s sin; conversely, here, Rahab, a Canaanite, is shown to be faithful.
She was acknowledging that this God she had heard about was the one and only true God, the only one—out of dozens that she as a good Canaanite knew about—who was worthy of worship and allegiance.
The inhabitants of Jericho presumably had the same opportunity to embrace Israel’s God that Rahab did, but only she seized the opportunity, and consequently only she and her family were spared destruction
Because of her “kindness” (ḥesed) to the spies
However, the story of Rahab is of a far different nature. The crucial difference is Rahab’s confession of faith in Israel’s God. By this, she made herself an Israelite, so to speak. She chose to cast her lot with Israel’s God, not the Canaanites’ gods. Prior to this confession of faith, the spies showed no intentions of entering into any treaties or agreements with her or any other Canaanite. However, her confession of faith made all the difference. She was, in effect, no longer a Canaanite.