Although he’s dead now, there was once a comedian named John Pinette who had an amazing bit about all-you-can-eat buffets. Being a larger man himself, he claimed he used to sit at a buffet and eat for hours; when they tried to kick him out, he said “it says ‘all you can eat’ sir, not ‘all you can eat here.’”
Touche, John Pinette.
And even though the concept of all-you-can-eat buffets probably didn’t exist during the period of the wilderness wanderings (unless you count manna falling from heaven as such), the idea was similar. When you’re wandering from field to field, eat whatever you want. No charge. No restrictions. Just eat.
It’s not designed to be a gratuitous feast, however; instead, this section in Deuteronomy 23:24-25 belongs alongside the passages about leaving the edges of your field open for gleanings. That way, if the poor needed it, they could take from your crops (Leviticus 23:22).
Can you imagine if we did this in today’s world? What if you decided to walk to services one morning, and on the way, encountered an apple tree. If you took some of it, would the person mind? Probably not.
But what if you went inside their house and started rooting around inside their pantry? They might mind then, not least of which is because you’re trespassing.
It doesn’t seem like the Israelites really understood that specific concept, though. In a world where the Year of Jubilee exists and God says “all the land is Mine” (Leviticus 25:32), the idea of personal property wasn’t as strong as it is in the great state of Texas.
Instead, people acted more like stewards. It belonged to me, but it ultimately belonged to God. And God is more than happy to let others eat what they need.
There was one caveat, though. While you could pick grapes (Deuteronomy 23:24) or pluck heads of grain (Deuteronomy 23:25), you could only eat what you needed in the moment. You couldn’t bring a shopping cart and load up on groceries—instead, you took your fill and moved on.
In other words, your neighbor’s farm acted like your own personal buffet. You could eat as much as you wanted, but it was only as much as you could eat there.
John Pinette would’ve loved that setup.