Two-Way Roads

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

The question that comes to my mind is the location of the evil.  Is the concern behind me on the road or has it suddenly appeared beside the road?  I would assume from the way the statement is made it’s not ahead of me and blocking the road.  The highway of holiness is providing me with a way of escape, not confrontation.

Sometimes the danger is pursuing us.  I would assume that on this highway, whatever means we are using for transportation, if we put our foot to the metal, we can out-distance the evil that is overtaking us.  That’s one possibility.

The other is that as we move forward on the road there suddenly appears on the side a bandit or a zombie or something else that’s coming to get us.  In case it’s like that all we need to do is keep going straight ahead, stay on the road, and let the natural barriers protect us.

So?  The clear teaching is that when we are confronted with evil, we have a choice to depart or to stay and get involved.  Which do you think is indicated here?