Charity Never Faileth by Elspeth Young

Charity Never Faileth


{ The Widow of Zarephath }
Pre-mounted Giclées on canvas (gatorboard)
High-grade canvas artwork reproductions pre-mounted to durable gatorboard for easy framing without glass.
12" x 16"$140.0014" x 18"$175.0016" x 20"$215.0018" x 24"$280.00
12" x 17.25"$149.0014" x 20"$191.0016" x 22"$233.00
Giclées on canvas (unmounted canvas roll)
Larger rolled canvas prints with a 2-inch margin for the customer to mount the print to stretcher bars at a local framing store or art center. No glass needed.
18" x 25.75"$221.0020" x 24"$228.0022" x 31.5"$317.0030" x 40"$528.00
18" x 26"$223.0020" x 28.5"$265.0024" x 36"$388.0030" x 43"$565.00
Paper prints
High-grade art reproductions available on photo paper (in sizes 12x18 and larger) or on high-quality 9pt (100#) paper. Combined shipping available for most smaller sizes.
16" x 20"$73.0020" x 24"$100.0030" x 40"$225.00
18" x 24"$93.0024" x 36"$168.00
Other products
Other options including the original artwork, bookmarks, and limited edition prints.
Original oil painting$7,998.00 Sold
or
You may click on a print size to see a preview of it.

† These prints show the entire painting. All other images are cropped to fit standard frame/print sizes. By purchasing a print, you agree to accept the image shipped to you whether cropped or not, as presented on this site. All print sizes link to a preview of the print. Print sizes are the image dimensions, not the dimensions of the paper.

And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah...

And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.

1 Kings 17:15-16

The story behind Charity Never Faileth

The widow of Zarephath feeds the prophet of the Lord in faith during a famine that almost took her and her sons' life.  Because of her incredible faith, the Lord feeds her, her son, and Elijah "many days," providing for her throughout the remainder of the famine.  The painting itself depicts the fulfillment of the Lord's word to her because of her act of faith.

Perhaps as important a lesson as any we can glean from this account, is that the Lord fulfills His promises.  This painting seeks to express the joy that awaits all who trust in the Lord and lean not unto their own understanding (see Proverbs 3:5).  Indeed, the faithful will always find that no matter the circumstances, "charity never faileth" (1 Corinthians 13:8 and Moroni 7:46).

Symbolism in Charity Never Faileth

Later in the account of this faithful widow, Elijah raises her son from the dead in an "upper room."  Such rooms are believed to denote wealth, and so it is likely that this widow was wealthy before the famine.  Indeed, perhaps she was still surrounded by the signs of outward wealth, like the carpet on the stone wall behind her or the rich robes and jewelry she wears even when she and her son were starving.  This painting also teaches us that money does not spare us from spiritual "starvation."  It is only charity which never fails.  If we rely on anything other than the Savior and His Restored Gospel to save us, it will eventually come to naught.  As an angel teaches King Benjamin in The Book of Mormon, "there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ..." (Mosiah 3:17).  If, like this widow, we trust in the words of the prophets, heed their counsel, and rely upon the Savior's infinite Atoning sacrifice, we will always find within us a "well of water springing up into everlasting life" (see John 4:14).

The woman holds a "cruse of oil" (the Hebrew for cruse, tsappachath, translates as "saucer").  Near the figure is the "barrel" of meal whose contents were also miraculously extended.  Both are a visual representation of the Lord's love, or charity.

When the widow goes to gather "two sticks" with which to fuel the fire for her last meal, she meets the Prophet who directs her to make him "thereof a little cake first," with the Lord's promise that she and her son will survive the famine.  Likewise, if we willingly give the "little" that the Lord asks us in tithing first, the windows of Heaven will provide for us both temporally and spiritually.

Bibliography

Freeman, James M. Manners and Customs of the Bible. New York: Logos International, 1972.

Hepper, FN. Baker Encyclopedia of Bible Plants: flowers and trees, fruits and vegetables, ecology. Leicester, England: Inter Varsity Press, 1992.

Matthews, Victor H. Manners and Customs in the Bible. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 1991.

Strong, James. The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. New York: Abingdon Press, 1890.

© By Elspeth Young, All Rights Reserved. You may not print, copy, or reproduce this artwork or make derivative works from it without the prior written consent of the copyright holder. For permissions, please review our FAQ page.



From the Newsroom


Custom framing services for original artworks and giclees (overview)

By Al R. Young
only high-end custom frames
We have framed our own artworks for more than 30 years, and during that time we have provided a variety of framing services to patrons upon request.  For many reasons—including constant changes in the availability of moulding styles—we cannot offer off-the-shelf framing options or response times typically associated with such a service.  Of necessity, all of our framing projects are aproached, priced, and billed as constuling projects... Read more »

Tags: Into The West, Spring Rain, North Country, The Grey Havens, Journey's End, Looking Back, Enchanted Stillness, Bedtime Story, In The High Valley, The Daydream, Before The Ball, Old Shannon, Pavane, Sweet Brier, Legend, Mountain Home, And I...


Blank Art Diaries: Edition of At Home now available as spiral-bound art diary

By Al R. Young This blank-book journal sells for $32 (plus shipping) direct from Al Young Studios.  Printed in full color on heavy paper, the book is bound with black plastic spiral to rest flat when open.

At Home: A Personal Journal  features 128 original artworks consisting of 51 original oil paintings from the Artists of Al Young Studios, 44 images from the Studios' Limited Editions Collection, nine pen and ink drawings and block prints by Ashton, seven of Al's exquisitely crafted pencil drawings, and one lithograph from his private portfolios... Read more »

Tags: North Shore, Nasturtium, Wald Kirche, Scabiosa, Foxglove, Narcissus on beige paper, July, Columbine, Maine, Final Draft, Unfurling, Back Shore, Summer's End, Gifts of Morn, Black-eyed Susan, Land's End, Solitude, The Limberlost, Perdita,


Book about the Old Testament features paintings by Elspeth Young

By Al R. Young The Old Testament Made Easy by David Ridges, published by Cedar Fort Publishing and Media, featured nine paintings by Elspeth Young.  The paintings are part of Al Young Studios' Women of the Bible Fine Art Collection.... Read more »

Tags: The Protector, By The River's Brink, Waiting For The Promise, Charity Never Faileth, Is Anything Too Hard For The Lord, Treasure The Word, The Daughters Of Zelophehad, I Arose A Mother In Israel, Many Sorrows, 3rd-party Publications, 2013, News


Edition of Inspirations now available as spiral-bound art diary

By Al R. Young This blank-book journal sells for $32 (plus shipping) direct from Al Young Studios.  Printed in full color on heavy paper, the book is bound with black plastic spiral to rest flat when open.

Inspirations features 163 artworks along with 53 commentaries—written by the Artists of Al Young Studios especially for this journal—on such topics as their creative process, the creative environment of the Studios, technical approaches to their artwork, and inspiration from the works of other artists... Read more »

Tags: Untitled, In the Clearing, Anne Girl, Spring Rain, Journey's End, Enchanted Stillness, Bedtime Story, In The High Valley, Mountain Home, And I Will Not Deny The Christ, Sara Crewe, And My Soul Hungered, 3.00.0246.010, The Road To Melek, We...


2010 Deseret Book wall calendar features 13 of Elspeth's oil paintings

By Al R. Young The 2010 Calendar: Women of the Old Testament, published by Deseret Book, featured 13 original oil paintings by Elspeth Young.  All of the paintings are part of Al Young Studios' Women of the Bible Fine Art Collection.

Commentaries (in the calendar) accompanying each painting provide a reference passage from the Bible, a summary of the character featured in the painting, and an artist's commentary concerning the painting itself.  The calendar also features a biographical sketch about the artist and a list of research sources that figured in the artist's work... Read more »

Tags: The Protector, By The River's Brink, What Is To Be Done For Thee, Charity Never Faileth, A Lamp Unto My Feet, Is Anything Too Hard For The Lord, Treasure The Word, The Daughters Of Zelophehad, The Struggle Within, For Such A Time As This,


Women of the Old Testament by Camille Fronk Olson features original artworks from Al Young Studios

By Al R. Young Women of the Old Testament by Camille Fronk Olson is the companion volume to Women of the New Testament, published by Deseret Book in 2014.

The Old Testament volume features fifty six illustrations from the Artists of Al Young Studios, listed here under the Studios' fine art collections and portfolios to which they belong.


From the Women of the Bible Fine Art CollectionFull-color details (cropped images) from the following 17 paintings appeared in the book (in the order in which they appear here)... Read more »

Tags: The Mother Of All Living, The Joy Of Our Redemption, The Protector, Blessed, By The River's Brink, What Is To Be Done For Thee, Charity Never Faileth, A Lamp Unto My Feet, Is Anything Too Hard For The Lord, God Liveth And Seeth Me, Treasure...


Ensign Magazine features five of Elspeth's oil paintings

By Al R. Young In the September 2006 issue of the Ensign Magazine, published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a section entitled "She Shall Be Called Woman: Women of the Old Testament," featured five of Elspeth Young's original oil paintings from the Women of the Bible Fine Art Collection:... Read more »

Tags: The Protector, Waiting For The Promise, Charity Never Faileth, A Lamp Unto My Feet, Is Anything Too Hard For The Lord, 3rd-party Publications, 2006, News


Illustration: Charity Never Faileth

By Al R. Young
High-resolution digital copies are available from the Studios for use as illustrations.  Use the serial number—appearing below the thumbnail—in requesting permission from the Studios (see links at the bottom of this page for detail).


The correct form of attribution when publishing an image is specified in the license agreement issued to the publisher by Al Young Studios.Guidelines for requests to copy or publish artworks created by the Artists of Al Young Studios

Guidelines for commissioning Al Young Studios to create illustrations
Return to this portfolio
Browse all portfolios
Browse Newsroom articles about Illustration
The original image is available for sale, please contact us for details... Read more »

Tags: Charity Never Faileth, 2006, People and Stories of the Bible


Elspeth C. Young completes new oil painting - "Charity Never Faileth"

By Al R. Young Charity Never Faileth is the newest oil painting to be added to the line of original artworks from Al Young Studios.

Click here to see a larger image of the new painting, read the artist's commentary, and look at the selection of prints--if any are available.... Read more »

Tags: Charity Never Faileth, 2006, Elspeth C. Young, Legacy, News, Oil paintings and prints, Women of the Bible Art Collection