Judges 9:42 says, And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.  Verse forty-three adds, And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them.  Being told that the people of the city were going to come out, Abimelech got ready, and he defeated them.  Verse forty-four states, And Abimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields, and slew them. A third of Abimelech's forces blocked the way back into the city and the other two-thirds killed those who had come out to defy him.  Sin is the same way in a persons life.  There is no safe place that we can go to and it will lead to everlasting spiritual death wherever we are unless we accept forgiveness through faith in Christ.  Verse forty-five says, And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.  Abimelech completely destroyed the city.  Though he was successful, I don't believe it was by the power of God that he was.  Abimelech may have been leading God's people, but from his actions with Gideon's other sons, there is no evidence that he was following God's guidance.  Someone today may call himself or herself a Christian, but their actions may say otherwise.  Verse forty-six declares,  And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith.  When the men of the tower of Shechem heard what had happened, they went into the hold in the house of the god Berith.  They were looking for safety from a false god, just as many people do today.  Verse forty-seven states, And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.  Then verse forty-eight adds, And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.  Verse forty-nine continues, And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.  Abimelech cut wood and piled it around the hold that the people were in and had his men do the same, then he set it on fire.  This killed around a thousand men, women and children that were inside.  This was a cruel action on the part of Abimelech, and again I don't believe that it was done by the leadership of God.  Verse fifty states, Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.  Verse fifty-one adds, But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower.  Abimelech then went to Thebez and took it, but there was a strong tower there that the men and women fled to.  Verse fifty-two says, And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.  Abimelech fought against the people in the tower and went to the door to burn it.  Verse fifty-three declares, And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull.  A woman in the city attempted to kill Abimelech by dropping a piece of millstone on his head.  The people did not give up easily, and at least one of the women was still willing to fight.  Verse forty-four states, Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.  Abimelech asked his armor bearer to kill him so it would not be said that he was killed by a woman.  He was still vain even at the point of death.  People today are often more concerned with how they will be viewed by the world than they are about how they will be viewed by God.  Abimelech should have been concerned more about his relationship with God than how the world would view his death, and so should we today.  Verse fifty-five declares, And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.  When the men of Israel heard that Abimelech was dead, they went home.  Their leader was dead, so they lost heart in the fight.  Verse fifty-six adds, Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:  We are told that the death of Abimelech was caused by God as a judgment of his wickedness.  No matter how we die in this world, we need to ultimately be concerned with how God will judge us.  Verse fifty-seven concludes, And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.  God also held the men of Shechem accountable for their sins.  Just because one sinner dies in his sin does not make others exempt from being held accountable for theirs.