Notes from Bible Reading: Ezekiel
The theme and focus of Ezekiel is the holiness of God.

Reading Ezekiel, note recurrence of the expression, "Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD," or variation of same, commonly follows a prophecy of destruction and what will follow destruction. Phrases repeated in Ezekiel:
--He who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious heart [house?]
--I am the LORD; I have spoken
--and you [or they] will know that I am the Lord
--And my eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity
--I will punish you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst

But not all is negative and depressing in this book.

Ezekiel 11:19-20
"And I will give them one heart, and shall put a new spirit within them. And I shall take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, so that they may walk in My statues and keep My ordinances, and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God."

Ezekiel 18:20
"The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself."

Ezekiel 34:11-16 [The True Shepherd]
For thus says the Lord GOD, "behold, I Myself will search the earth for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. And I will bring them out from among the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams and in all the inhabited places of the land. And I will feed them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down in good grazing ground, and they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock and I will head them to rest," declares the Lord GOD. "I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken, and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with judgment." Note: This passage reminds me of the various references to the sheep and the Shepherd in the NT, especially the parable in Luke 15 for some reason. And of course Psalm 23.

Read Ezekiel 36:22-32; God will act for the sake of His holy name; as then, so now. v. 36b: "I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it." This is both comforting and foreboding, depending on your relationship with Him. He guarantees He will accomplish His will.