Blessed, God-given, God-sustained Hardness

“As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they [be] a rebellious house.” (Ezekiel 3:9)

This invincible boldness, courage, and steadfastness in God’s prophets the world calls “pride,” “impertinence,” and “rudeness.” The religious world (especially preachers, teachers, and religious leaders) calls it “divisive dogmatism” and “sectarianism.” But the people of this world and the self-serving religious leaders of the world know nothing about the power of the Spirit, the call of God, “the burden of the Word of the Lord,” or the work of the ministry.

The adamant, “harder than flint,” cannot be broken by a hammer or consumed by fire. It is unaffected by its environment and equally unaffected by that which men may do to it. That adamant stands firm and never yields. This legendary stone was thought to be used to cut iron in pieces and to polish precious gems.

            John Gill rightly observed, “The design of the simile is to set forth the courage and fortitude of mind the prophet was endowed with, in order to face an impudent and hardhearted people.”

The servant of God must be as bold as a lion, as fearless as a bear, as strong as an ox, and as tender as a dove. He is the instrument by which God cuts the heart of iron in pieces and breaks it, and the instrument by which the Almighty polishes jewels for His crown.

            His work is of immense importance. Moses can never compromise to appease Pharaoh, to please Aaron, or to win Israel’s approval. God’s servant is and must be a man willing to stand alone, both in the world and in the Church. He cannot be moved by the flatteries of friends or the frowns of foes. Though the world rise up against him, though enemies attack him violently, he stands firm, “as an adamant harder than flint,” unmoved, unaffected, unafraid. Why? How? — He is God’s servant, not the servant of men. Being God’s servant, he knows that failure and defeat are impossibilities. — God give me such strength with which to serve you in this generation!

Don Fortner

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