The reason our Gods make us start our lives on this earth (instead of just creating us all in Heaven) is to test our submission to Them. We are creatures who have been given a small measure of choice when it comes to how much we want to submit to our Creators. They have intentionally created an environment which makes rebelling against Them feel like the easier, more attractive choice. This is Their way of sifting out the truly committed souls. When believing in multiple Gods felt like the natural, easy thing to do for the Jews, Yahweh made polytheism a terrible crime. When believing in multiple Gods became extremely repulsive to the Jews, He suddenly changed His program and demanded that they convert to polytheism. In both situations, Yahweh was saying, “You can’t please both Me and the world. You will have to choose one over the other.” Both situations were about ensuring that obeying God was a costly affair.