Biblical Answer

Pagan practices that Israel was avoiding include:

Israel was expected to occupy Canaan, destroying the previous inhabitants and the religious items they used in worship of their gods. This includes the worship of gods such as Baal, Ashtaroth, and Moloch. Israel was also expected to avoid the pagan practices of the surrounding nations, including the worship of demons and the use of occult practices.

The Israelites were to be holy and separate from the pagan nations, observing a special religious calendar, circumcising male children, and following the dietary stipulations of the law. They were to seek the place of the Lord's choosing, which may imply pilgrimage to a designated sacred place motivated by a desire to worship the Lord and not engage in pagan rites. The priests were expected to be holy and not engage in activities connected with pagan rites. Israel was expected to take land from their neighbors, but they were not to adopt the pagan practices of those nations. In fact, God warned Israel that if they chose to worship pagan gods, they would receive the same judgment as the pagans. The land had been occupied by tribes of idol worshipers, engaging in the worst kinds of paganism, and it was a land fully engulfed in idolatry. Israel was expected to be a light to the nations and to reflect the holiness of God.