Self-Conceit: The Blindness of Thinking Ourselves Wise

Self-conceit, as warned in Proverbs 3:7, involves profound self-ignorance. The wisest person must contemplate two humbling truths: his knowledge against what remains unknown, and his knowledge against what he ought to have learned. This pride obstructs mental improvement because the self-conceited man feels no necessity for growth—he believes he already knows everything.

According to Exell's Biblical Illustrator (1887), self-conceit destroys social influence. A conceited person repels rather than draws others, earning contempt rather than respect. Intelligence, generosity, truthfulness, and humility build genuine influence; arrogance dismantles it.

Youth faces particular vulnerability to this vice. Young people display self-conceit through inattention to instruction, a spirit of contradiction, reluctance to seek counsel, and rash judgment of time-honored wisdom. The gravest sign is neglecting to ask counsel of Elohim (James 1:5). Youth commonly know little of themselves and less of the world's complexities, yet they remain exposed to the flattery of others.

Exell urges guard against this folly by recognizing its weak foundation, understanding that believing oneself already wise prevents true wisdom's acquisition, and remembering that phronimos (wise in one's own eyes) before men becomes foolish before Adonai. Self-conceit betrays young people into certain ruin. The remedy demands constant watchfulness and prayer against this spirit that works fatal mischief in character and life.