Rahab and unbelief

Something occurred to me the other day whilst listening to a sermon on Joshua 2, about Rahab.  It's something that happens relatively frequently in the bible, but this time it came through to me loud and clear: even when people know that the God of Israel is the One True God, they still refuse to worship Him.

In vv. 9-11, Rahab says to the Israelite spies:

I know that the LORD has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. ¹⁰ We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. ¹¹ When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

This is in context of the Israelites having come out of Egypt with signs and wonders, wandering through the wilderness for 40 years, conquering a few kingdoms along the way, and eventually arriving at the Jordan across from Jericho.

From this speech to the Israelite spies, I think we can conclude that everyone in Jericho knew that the God of Israel was real, powerful, and the Lord of heaven and earth.  Yet only one person in all of Jericho, that is, Rahab, turned from her ways and trusted in God.  What does this mean about everyone else's choice to continue in rebellion, in spite of the fact that they knew who the real God was?

Just food for thought.