Flint and steel have been used in starting fires for centuries. In the days before matches were invented, flint and steel offered the ability to start a fire without having to carry a hot coal wherever one traveled (and worrying about losing it or having it go cold). Starting a fire using flint and steel takes more skill and preparation than simply striking a match.
Try carrying large quantities of matches into the wilderness, or stockpiling thousands of matches in your disaster preparedness kit. Even if the weight and volume of your matches do not discourage you, you are faced with the problem of keeping them from getting damaged by moisture (or other storage concerns).