If we are asked to sum up the message of the Psalter what should we say? I would echo the following statement by Robert Cole:
Psalms 1 and 2 were not read as two disparate Torah and royal psalms respectively in the final redaction of the Psalter; rather, both depict the ideal Joshua-like warrior and king who through divinely given authority vanquishes his enemies. From this eschatological perspective the Psalter opens and sets the tone for all subsequent psalms.
Cole, R. (2002) “An Integrated Reading of Psalms 1 and 2”, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, pp. 75-88
[...] Psalterium Psalms 1 and 2 were not read as two disparate Torah and royal psalms respectively in the final [...]
I really like that Cole article. I am just about to do some graphs of the usage of common words in the Psalter. Let’s see if I discover a summing up of the message.
Richard – after all my experiments, I came up with a really simple answer posted here
Thanks Bob, I hope my post in response helps contextualise the dominance of praise.