A scorpion’s bite is usually only painful for humans. The bite of some of the approximately six hundred kinds of scorpion is greatly feared because its venom can cause death within seven hours such as that of the Andoctronus australis, found in the Sahara Desert. That venom has a paralysing effect upon the respiratory muscles, among other things. The symptoms of a scorpion bite sometimes resemble those of demon possession. The victim rolls over the floor, grinding his teeth and foaming at the mouth.2 Swarms of locusts are often an image of hoards of enemy cavalry in the Old Testament such as those of the Midianites3 and of Amalek.4 Jeremiah sees how Egypt is attacked by the enemy from the North as well as by a swarm of locusts.5 The imagery of the Old Testament prophets is still echoing, but what is limited there to a city or a people or a nation, is now worldwide. When Joel prophesies about the ‘Day of the Lord’, he says: “What the locust swarm has left, the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left, the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left, other locusts have eaten.”6 This description depicts a picture of the mighty and countless destruction that was left of a nation that came against Israel7—a very great number of enemy soldiers, writhing with paralysing venom that causes unbearable pain. These are indeed tortuous plagues destined not to kill, but to torment. This terror continues for five months.
A large and mighty army comes, like dawn spreading across the mountains, such as never was in ancient times nor ever will be in ages to come. Fire devours before them, a flame blazes behind them. Before them the land is like the Garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste; nothing escapes them. They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry with a noise like that of chariots. They leap over the mountaintops, like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle. Nations are in anguish at the sight of them; every face turns pale.8 This is how Joel describes the ‘Day of the Lord’: an invasion by a nation like locusts, with teeth like lions’ teeth and a lioness’s fangs.9 The resemblance of Joel’s prophecy to John’s description is remarkable. The Lord sets a limit however: it will not last longer than five months.
The ten plagues in Egypt was a battle over Israel played out between God, JHWH the Lord, and the false gods. Which specific false gods did God battle in Egypt? We can tell the answer from the plagues. The first of the ten plagues was directed at the Nile, which was worshipped as Hapi, the giver of life. The waters of the Nile turned to blood. The Nile had been the grave of many Jewish baby boys; now it ceased to be a source of life for the Egyptians. Its waters turned poisonous, undrinkable so the fish died and everything in the Nile stank. What a humiliation!
The plague of frogs humiliated the god Hektor, a representation of the god Hathor.
The plague of mosquitoes and gnats was directed against Isis, the wife of Osiris, and the revived Hathor, one of the most important Egyptian goddesses, who was worshipped in the form of an ox. Both people and cattle suffered. The pestilence on the livestock and the plague of boils were aimed at Ptah (or Apis) the bull god of Memphis, as well as at other gods who took the form of cattle, goats, or sheep
Serapis was the god of protection against locusts, but was helpless when the plague of locusts attacked Egypt. The plague of hail struck the whole land of Egypt but not in the land of Goshen because God made a distinction between His people, who were living in the land of Goshen, and the Egyptians who did not worship Him.
Exodus 8:22-23 says: “…But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where My people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land. I will make a distinction between My people and your people…”
And then came the thick darkness.
The supreme god of the Egyptians was the sun god, Re or Ra. But Ra was unable to drive back the darkness. Exodus 10:23 says: “…Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived…” Pharaoh himself was regarded as the son of Ra, but when the tenth plague took his firstborn son (and all the firstborn sons in Egypt) the divine Pharaoh was revealed to be powerless, Exodus 7:14-11:10.
All these plagues made it quite clear that Egypt’s man-made gods could not save. Egypt’s religion, which imparted divine properties to nature, could protect neither man nor beast, nor the firstborn sons of the Egyptians.
In contrast, the Jewish boys in the land of Goshen remained alive. Israel’s children had been murdered, but now it was evident Who was Master and Lord. The blood of the slaughtered lamb applied to the doorposts and the lintel protected the people of Israel in the land of Goshen in Egypt. The use of the blood of a lamb points to Christ, the Lamb to be sacrificed for the sins of the world, to avert God’s anger against lost, sinful people who have placed their hope on Christ Jesus. When the people fled from Egypt, the waters of the Red Sea were divided by a strong east wind and Israel travelled safely across, but the Pharaoh and his horsemen perished, Exodus 13:17-14:31. In the Book of Revelation, the seals, trumpets, woes and bowls remind us of the plagues of Egypt, but point to disasters that will be worldwide in scale. Yet, in those days as well it will be true: God will keep His people safe.
• Locusts swarm from May to September, i.e. for five months. Is this the length of time of the effect of the venom that will then be used—the torment of the ‘scorpion bite’? Does this time limit of five months mean that God’s goodness is still greater than His wrath, even during the trumpet plagues?
• Does the torment include the possibility of a radical change of heart, of repentance and receiving forgiveness, so that man will turn to the throne of God in the midst of his misery (Psalm145:6)? Let’s hope so! Maybe not for demons but maybe for deranged human beings who were used by these demons.
Bible References:
1.NIV 2.Comp. Mark 9:18 3.Judges 6:5–7 4.Judges 7:12 5.Jeremiah 46:23–24 6.Joel 1:4 7.Joel 1:6 8.Joel 2:1–6 9.Joel 1:6, comp. Revelation 9:8
