"They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man."-Revelations 9:5
A grasshopper; green, long bodied, and evidently harmless, is in many cultures one of God's greatest creatures. In the nation of China, these insects are associated with prosperity, happiness, luck, wealth and virtue. Some regions consider them symbols of fertility, particularly the birth of a son. There are places where they are even kept as house pets, rather than a dog or cat. In Ancient Greece, the grasshopper indicated the nobility and protection of wealth. The Athenians adorned themselves in grasshopper shaped jewelry, as to present their nobility to the public.
Amongst the Bohemians of Europe- artists, musicians, dancers, and writers- the grasshopper is of great appeal. The creature's lilting music is an inspiration to their art. They admire the grasshopper's individuality as an emblem of intuition. It is the belief of these Bohemians that the grasshopper chooses innovators, free-thinkers, and those who live life in an unorthodox manner, as though it is a muse or guardian. The grasshopper leaps high, beyond boundaries and rules, into places where others fear to tread.
If there was ever anything quite so opposite the grasshopper, a symbol of well-being and courageous creativity, it is the scorpion. Darkly and fatally poisonous, the scorpion is a symbol of hatred, anger, envy, pain, wickedness, fear, and most significantly, death. In Ancient Egypt, Set, the God of Death is in the form of a great scorpion. In the Christian religions the scorpion will often represent Judas, the betrayer of Christ, or even Satan himself. After the King of the Jews was killed, the scorpion became a well-known symbol of violent anti-Semitism.
The ancients believed that during the months of October and November, when the constellation Scorpio shone in the skies, the poison of the scorpion was the deadliest. Those at risk were the innocent; young children, the crippled and mentally ill, but most predominately, the virgins. To a young virgin woman, the scorpion was a symbol of lust and temptation, and she feared it greatly at the threat of losing her innocence.
A righteous girl, if asked to choose between a grasshopper and scorpion, would of course choose the grasshopper. But a scorpion, being the clever trickster that he is, could easily disguise himself as a kind, safe grasshopper; and by that he could lure the young woman to him. Using tricks and deception, the scorpion could easily have that young woman. When the time came, he would unmask himself, revealing that he was a scorpion, and the poor girl would be trapped. Nowhere to run…nowhere to hide…and the scorpion would inject her with his sting mercilessly. She would be left to slowly die; destroyed and ravished. A good girl, a religious girl of virtue, would know all about the scorpion's tricks and steer completely clear of the temptation. Never to be touched by it's poison.
Yet for some, even when a grasshopper is placed before them, the temptation of the scorpion is just too much. Although they love the grasshopper, and want it with all their heart, they want the scorpion as well. They just want to know what it feels like to be stung, but then pull away before the venom releases. And even if they are poisoned, they believe it can be sucked away by the grasshopper, by returning to his safety. They do not think about the pain they put the two through by their indecisiveness. They simply want to have the grasshopper and forget all about the scorpion as if it never happened.
They do not realize that some poison cannot be sucked away and that they too will eventually be left dead and ravished.
There will be nowhere to run or hide.
And the memory of that scorpion will torturously remain; like a slow-killing poison.