What is the difference between "God appeared" and "God revealed Himself"?
Just for your thought:
What is the difference between "God appeared" and "God revealed Himself"? What lesson does Exodus 6:3 teach us?
"I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by My name 'LORD' I did not make Myself known to them."
– Exodus 6:3
God appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty (El Shaddai). But He did not reveal Himself to them by His personal name, “Yahweh” (YHWH). However, God revealed Himself to Moses—and not just to Moses, but also to the people of Israel—by the name “Yahweh” (Exodus 3:14).
In short, God introduced Himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the God of the covenant (Exodus 6:4). But to Moses, He revealed Himself as the eternal and self-existing God.
What this truly means is:
He is "the One who is"—in other words, the God who eternally exists. The promises He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He reveals Himself now as the One who fulfills them for the people of Israel.
Lessons:
Our God is not only the One who makes promises, but also the One who fulfills them. Furthermore, He is more than a fulfiller—He is the eternal, complete God who surpasses all things.
God does not reveal Himself to all His children in the same way. Depending on each person's situation and calling, God uniquely reveals Himself. No one in this world has received the full revelation of God.