Every so often I find myself standing in line at the market behind a lady with a shopping cart containing a small child. Invariably the child is sitting in the basket facing me. So, there we are gazing at each other, and usually I have the feeling that I am really being given an intense scrutiny. I have no idea why I am getting this concentrated gaze, perhaps the child is trying to figure out who this funny looking guy is, or maybe it's because I'm so attractive. So, in order to break the tension sometimes I smile, but with mixed results. Other times I will wink, but this seems to be a strange procedure for most children. Sometimes they will try to respond, and it is comical to see them screw their faces up in an effort to close one eye. Evidently the ability to wink is an adult skill. Winking can be useful in sending silent signals to a friend or a spouse. In fact, that is one of the definitions of wink.
Another definition of wink is twinkle. We all have observed twinkling lights in Christmas decoration or other displays, and also in stars. This is one way to tell a planet from a star, because planets don't twinkle. The reason most stars twinkle is because they are mere pinpoints of light, and any distortion of the atmosphere can cause the light to vary in brightness. However, there is one kind of twinkling or blinking star that does so because of an intrinsic quality. Astronomers have discovered stars that actually wink at us, and they are called Cepheid Variables. Some have joked that it is God winking at us. These variables are pulsating, supergiant, yellow stars whose brightness varies in regular periods. By use of this period-luminosity relation, the distance of such a star can be determined, and this has been a valuable tool in determining stellar distances. It is thought that the pulsation is caused by two stars rotating about a common center so that their light combines or obscures in a periodic fashion.
The idea that a twinkling star is God winking at us is rather silly, but actually, God does wink (Acts 17:30 KJV). In times past, due to man's ignorance, God ignored some of man's erring ways. Today, in our enlightened state, God expects a higher standard of performance, and He expects repentance when we fail to meet that standard; He can no longer wink at our waywardness. Before, He could overlook man's short comings, now He can no longer do so. Jesus came to demonstrate what God is like so that we can be better acquainted with who and what He is. So, through Jesus we have become better acquainted with God. In other words we now know better what God is, and due to the discoveries of modern astronomy, we now know, little twinkling star, what you are.
