Believe it or not: the Bible wasn't written to 21st century people, let alone 21st century Americans! Not only are we 2000+ years removed from the Bible's culture, but Americans and Western Europeans are not at all familiar with Eastern culture much at all. As a result of that, we can very easily misunderstand parts of the Bible, or apply it to our lives based on what it means to us nowadays. Just remember, the Word of God IS applicable to our lives, and to anyone. But only after applying it to the people who God was speaking to in context.