THEOSISGregory of Nyssa
Moses observed that those under his authority were united in their allegiance to the leader of evil and, thus, executed a sweeping judgment against the entire Egyptian nation, leaving none among the distressed untouched. In this confrontation with the Egyptians, even the very elements of the universe—earth, fire, air, and water—responded, altering their natural forces at the command of man. By a singular divine authority, at one moment and in one place, the wicked faced judgment, while the innocent were spared from transgression.
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When the land of Egypt was overrun by frogs, a phenomenon that could not be attributed to natural causes but was rather a result of divine command to multiply these creatures; all Egyptians endured hardship, tormented by these frogs in their homes, yet the lives of the Hebrews remained unharmed by this affliction.
However, just because history indicates that the Egyptians were afflicted by the rod of righteousness, we should not be misled. Historical accounts also note that the tormentor was hardened by God. What blame can be assigned to one whose heart was inevitably made obstinate by a higher power? The Apostle reinforces this point, stating, “And because they did not care to have God in their minds, God gave them over to a perverse mind—to do immorality” (Rom. 1:28), which refers to those whom God abandoned to immoral desires. Even though the divine text communicates this, it does not imply that God compels the one who seeks disgrace to surrender to ignoble desires. Pharaoh's hardness of heart is not a manifestation of divine will, nor is the affliction of frogs a consequence of virtue. If it were truly God's intent, then all would henceforth be affected equally, rendering no distinction between virtue and vice in the realm of existence. Each individual navigates life uniquely, with some achieving righteousness while others succumb to vice; thus, attributing these variances in life—rooted in the freedom of individual will—to divine decree lacks justification.
Consequently, the individual who succumbs to impassioned desires can be aptly understood through the Apostle's words, which suggest that it is not God punishing one for ignorance. Rather, the lack of knowledge of God is what drives him into a life characterized by passion and disgrace. It would be as if one claimed a person fell into a ditch due to the sun, which they neglected to observe; we would not conclude that the sun, in its anger, compelled this person into the ditch, but rather recognize that their negligence of the sunlight is what caused their downfall. Similarly, the apostolic message indicates that those who disregard God find themselves entangled in passionate pursuits of indignity. Pharaoh's heart was hardened not because God instilled obstinacy into him, but because his own will, predisposed to vice, rejected the messages that could have softened his heart. Likewise, the rod of righteousness granted to the Egyptians cleansed the Hebrews from the trials of the frogs while illuminating the suffering of the Egyptians under such a plight.