Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity. (Ecclesiastes 2:18-19)

The Wasted Life

Edward of Woodstock was the eldest son of King Edward III of England. Born in 1330, he died at the age of forty-six without ascending the throne, dying before his father. His son, Richard II, succeeded his father to the throne. History remembers Edward as the Black Prince, one of the most successful English military men of his day. During the Hundred Years War, he distinguished himself at a very early age. English contemporaries view Edward as a model of chivalry and one of the greatest knights of the period.

Edward’s tomb was placed in the Canterbury Cathedral in accordance with his will. A bronze effigy adorns his tomb with his epitaph inscribed around his effigy, which reads:

Such as thou art, sometime was I.

Such as I am, such shalt thou be.

I thought little on th’our of Death

So long as I enjoyed breath.

On earth I had great riches

Land, houses, great treasure, horses, money and gold.

But now a wretched captive am I,

Deep in the ground, lo here I lie.

My beauty great, is all quite gone,

My flesh is wasted to the bone.

Edward’s epitaph reminds all men that death comes to everyone. He thought little of his hour of death, but the chimes of life ended in 1376. Life was good for the prince, who had great honors and riches. He suffered from dysentery, which would take his life. He had land, houses, great treasures, horses, money, and gold; but of what value in death? Edward recognizes that death is complete where there is no beauty and the body decays.

The story of Edward of Woodstock is the same sad refrain of those who live every day with little thought of their mortality. Having great tracts of land and houses did not keep the prince from dying. Death took away his power as a commander of an army. The horses, money, and gold went to those who remained, and they left it all to others when they died. Death is the reality no one wants to accept. Life is not about what is found here but what is discovered when the eyes close in death.

Edward’s epitaph should warn all who trifle with the empty promises of riches, power, and pleasure. Billionaires die as quickly as paupers, and the question remains the same for each: are you prepared to meet God when you die? The Lord is not impressed with how much money you have or the number of houses you own. It matters little to the Creator of your gold and silver because it belongs to Him anyway. Your breath comes from God. Serving the will of the Father is the purpose of life. Jesus died to open the way of salvation. Are you ready?