Verse four of Psalm 23 begins in the King James Version with the small word, “Yea,” meaning “yes.” Used mainly in voting today, it is not commonly used otherwise. In this psalm of David’s, it is an important little word, reminding us that Yes, God is with us!
God’s Word is unshakable. But man is prone to make great sweeping promises to the Lord, swearing impressive oaths to God. Jesus (and later, His brother James) warned against this. We have been told not to swear “by heaven or by earth or by anything else” (James 5:12). We can’t awe God with our words. We are people who declare one thing with certainty on a particular day and then the next day change position like the shifting wind.
There is another aspect to consider with the small word “Yea.” “Yes” declares unequivocally that something is so. It is not “maybe,” or “perhaps.” In a world where truth is becoming relative, absolutes are being blurred, and ethics are finessed to fit the situation, we would do well to stand firmly on every YES statement of the Bible.