“The Highway of the Upright”

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

(NKJV) “The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who keeps his way preserves his soul.”

Highway- mes-il-law’ From H5549; a thoroughfare (as turnpiked), literally or figuratively; specifically, a viaduct, a staircase: – causeway, course, highway, path, terrace. Strong’s Hebrew/Greek Dictionary

Highways in general are filled with difficulties, curves, potholes, slick spots, danger ahead signs, detours, etc.…

The highway of life is likewise symbolically filled with things such like that we must navigate. Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 9:11 “…time and chance happen to us all…” Sometimes we hit the curve a little too fast or get turned around by an unexpected detour. Those things happen to all, yet, regarding the course we pursue in life there are choices to make. The Proverb writer says Proverbs 16:17 “…the highway or course of the upright is to depart from evil…”

Depart- sûr śûr to turn off (literally or figuratively): – be [-head], bring, call back, decline, depart, eschew, get [you], go (aside), X grievous, lay away (by), leave undone, be past, pluck away, put (away, down), rebel, remove (to and fro), revolt, X be sour, take (away, off), turn (aside, away, in), withdraw, be without. Strong’s Hebrew/Greek Dictionary

The upright selects a course in which they depart from evil. In other words when encountering evil on the highway of life, the upright takes the exit. In Proverbs 5:1-8 the father instructs the son to employ godly wisdom and not walk in the way that leads by the home of the seductress. Proverbs 5:8 “Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house…” Do not allow the road you travel to go by her house.

In Proverbs 1 regarding the enticement of sinners the father instructs the son “…walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path…” (Proverbs 1:15) The upright will refrain or withhold their foot from the path of sin. Neither will they allow their course to pass by the house of seduction. (ISV) “The road of the upright circumvents evil…”

What will this accomplish?

The upright who departs from evil is one who “…keeps his way.” This individual guards his or her way by being initiative-taking in the steps they take. This was the walk Job had taken in life leading up to the trials he faced. He is described in Job 1:1 as a man who avoided evil… This was the course he chose. When evil presented itself, he turned aside or took the exit. There were a lot of curves and treacherous terrain that Job encountered along the way, but He chose to travel a highway in life in which he did not contribute to its difficulty. He guarded his way therefore preserving his soul. This was a choice. Preserveth/Preserving- shâmar “to hedge about (as with thorns), that is, guard; generally, to protect, attend to, etc.” Strong’s Hebrew/Greek Dictionary…

Satan argued that the only reason Job served GOD was because He had built a hedge around him. Job 1:10 I would suggest that Job had a great deal to do with that hedge. In other words that hedge was there because of the highway Job had chosen to travel. Job did not serve GOD because of the hedge but rather the hedge was there because Job was upright, feared God, and avoided evil. Consider the following questions for self-examination.

1. What does our highway look like?
2. Are we guarding our heart by living a life of reverence for GOD?
3. Are we turning from evil and taking the exit that GOD provides for us?
4. Are we building a hedge around our heart and preserving our soul for eternity?