The Bible is the timeless Word of God written to all ages and all peoples; each book also represents a specific word to a specific people at a specific time in history. As the Israelites wait on the verge of the Promised Land, God has special instructions for them in accordance with their bronze age understanding of such things as hygiene and economics.
To us, it might seem strange to find plumbing instructions in the Bible (vs. 13). Yet in the interest of sanitation and health, God saw fit to make sure His people would maintain safe, clean practices. Likewise, rules governing an agrarian society need to cover the legitimacy of eating another's produce or grain. Seeking a balance, the Bible says that a hungry person may eat grapes or grain from a neighbor's field - but not fill up a container or use an implement to harvest (vs. 24-25).
If we were to write up rules governing our worship and the way we practice our faith today,they might well seem strange and antiquated to future generations. "Treat the Bible with respect..." How does that rule work when the Bible is simply another text file on one's iPad or Kindle? "Attend Church on Sundays..." What if the worshiping Church in the future does not physically gather but attends in some kind of electronic version of Internet Church?
What makes perfect sense in one era may not in another. But the principles undergirding the text often reveal God's heart for His people no matter the day or age.
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