Adapted from Matthew Henry’s Commentary and www.bible.org. There’s also a helpful introduction at http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/ezekiel/intro.htm (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops).
Ezekiel [meaning “God strengthens”] was one of the priests carried captive to Babylon with Jehoiachin, around 597 BC. His prophecies appear to have been delivered in that country (“I was among the exiles by the river Chebar”), somewhere north of Babylon.
His chief objective appears to have been to comfort his brethren in captivity. He is directed to warn of the dreadful calamities coming upon Judea – particularly upon the false prophets – and the neighboring nations. He also announces the future restoration of Israel and Judah from their several dispersions, and their happy state in their latter days, under the Messiah. Much of Christ will be found in this book, especially in the conclusion.
Note: Reading Ezekiel will be a new experience for me. I don't ever remember reading it through, nor ever studying it in a Bible class.
I suspect I will not have a clear understanding of it, so this first read-through may be a bit muddled. It will be merely a synopsis of what I read, plus any random thoughts I might have as I read, when Ezekiel states a generic truth. Or my comments may consist of questions to be answered in a more in-depth study. If I consult five commentaries as I take notes, I'll never get through it!
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