This phrase is found in Isaiah 50:7 – For the Lord GOD will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed. The context is the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ before His crucifixion. Note the prophetic statement in the previous verse: I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. This profound resolve of Jesus is seen twice in Luke (9:51,53) by the phrase “set His face” – Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, . . . But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. This reminds me of the Christmas presentation written by Ron Hamilton, “Born to Die”. Jesus came for the express purpose of dying for your sins and mine, and He allowed nothing to deter Him from this mission – Hallelujah!
We see this same resolve in the servants of the Lord, by His power alone. Flint is a very hard dark rock used in Scripture to describe this firm resolve. God promises to give this to Ezekiel, in the midst of those who will not listen: Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house. (Eze 3:8-9) In Acts 20:24, Paul stated But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And yes, God can and will enable you and me to have this determination as we cry out to Him and submit to His will as bondservants. What a privilege!
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Keith Neds