My Way Is the Highway

(Proverbs 16:17 KJV)  The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.

What is the purpose of a “highway” (4546)?  Why do people take the big roads rather than neighborhood streets?  Sometimes it is for speed.  At the right time of day the freeways and interstates are much faster than the stop and go of surface streets.  That is not always true and that is where discernment comes in.  Sometimes it is because you don’t know the local streets.  When I am driving cross country I try to stay on the major routes going through big towns.  I have gotten off and totally lost enough to be leery of side trips. 

Here the idea is to “depart” (5493) from “evil” (7451a).  We forget that we are to make the getaway when it comes to evil.  We are not supposed to rub elbows with it or submerge ourselves in it.  Sometimes we cannot avoid it but if we are paying attention we will find a way to escape. 

So?  Flee.  I know James says the devil will flee from us but if you do a search there are more verses that tell us to flee.  Sometimes God’s way is the highway.