Biblical Answer

The pagan practices that Israel was avoiding include:

These practices were considered abominable and were forbidden in the Jewish law. Israel was expected to occupy Canaan, destroying the previous inhabitants and their religious items, and to worship the true and living God. During Israel's centuries in Egyptian captivity, the land had been occupied by tribes of idol worshipers, engaging in the worst kinds of paganism. It was a land fully engulfed in idolatry and paganism.

Israel's avoidance of these pagan practices was a key aspect of their identity as a people set apart for God. They were expected to take land from their neighbors, destroy their previous inhabitants and their religious items, and worship the true and living God. This was a fundamental aspect of their election as holy people, and they were warned that if they chose to worship Pagan gods, they would receive the same judgment as the Pagans. In His warning to Israel, God listed the very things we see today in the kingdom of the occult. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or who practices divination, or who is a sorcerer, or who casts spells, or who is a medium, or who consults a spirit leader or a fortune teller, or who is a sorcerer, or who practices divination or casts spells. Deuteronomy 18:10-12. The pagan practices that Israel was avoiding were seen as a threat to their spiritual well-being and their relationship with God. By avoiding these practices, Israel was able to maintain their identity as a people set apart for God and to fulfill their role as holy people.