vides some of the best statements of hope and promise in all the Bible. Beyond his costly obedience and faithful endurance, Jeremiah expressed the gospel message of hope. He was the prophet of God's gracious promise: "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." He would be disappointed to be remembered only for his messages of judgment and lamentation, because he saw himself as the prophet of the Lord's new covenant. Long before the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, Jeremiah embodied the Gethsemane mind-set, took up his cross daily and lived in the power of the resurrection. In his hard-hitting prophetic message, the hope of the Gospel prevailed. Jeremiah's life was a parable of Jesus pointing forward to "The Lord Our Righteousness." Jeremiah didn't sermonize, he embodied the word of the Lord in his life and character. He was not the Incarnate One, but he lived an incarnational life.