There are three major errors I find made consistently by critical scholars in this regard, if helpful:
Firstly, no one, no evangelical scholar or believer, discounts the idea that there is, indeed, a “pantheon” of deities in the broadest sense of the word, of which Yahweh is the head. This was embraced in the ancient OT, it was embraced throughout the New Testament, I believe it myself. It wasn’t Yahweh himself that announced the birth of Christ to Mary, and of John to Zechariah, but a lesser deity known as Gabriel, who in his own words, stood “in the presence of God.
And Jesus himself knew that had Yahweh so desired, Yahweh could have sent “legions” of these lesser deities to help him.
So yes, I believe in a pantheon of supernatural beings of which Yahweh is the ultimate head, ruler, and authority. Why then is it at all’s urlrising to find this identical perspective in the OT.
(For that matter, people make this big deal about the book Job, and how somehow Satan at the time was conceived so differently… he had access to go right to God and have a conversation… which of course is totally different than what we find in the New Testament… where Satan walks right up to God incarnate and has a long drawn out conversation….)
Secondly, critical scholars make a big deal about the ancient Israelite belief in other deities, those of other societies or cultures, as being in fact real deities, that has real powers, that were in conflict with Israel’s God.
And again… is this somehow something different than what we believe today, or that is reflected in the NT? Jesus certainly seemed to believe in the reality and power of these other lesser deities that were not subservient to Yahweh, yet who he claimed absolute power of. Paul warned that participating in the idolatrous worship of the pagan Roman culture would be… well, “What pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God.” Demons believe in Yahweh “and shudder.”
Thirdly, I have seen times where critical scholars point to actual worship of multiple deities within Israel, and claim this reflects a certain polytheism. Again, as if this would be in any way noteworthy. The OT tells us that the people regularly sinned by embracing the worship of foreign and false gods. How exactly does this impact in any way whatsoever the basic core orthodox belief of scripture that there is only one true God over all things and all other lesser supernatural powers, who alone is to be worshipped? That is like using the example of King David’s adultery as evidence that Yahweh must not have given there command “do not commit adultery.” The fact that false, syncretism if worship existed is no evidence whatsoever that there wasn’t true, orthodox worship prescribed.