John Calvin Commentary Psalms 78:61

"And delivered his strength into captivity, And his glory into the adversary`s hand." — Psalms 78:61 (ASV)

And he delivered his strength into captivity. In this verse, the same subject is continued: it is declared that the strength of God, by which the Israelites had been shielded and defended, was at that time in captivity. Not that his power could only be exerted in connection with the outward symbol; but instead of opposing their enemies as he had formerly done, it was now his will that the grace by which he had preserved his people should, so to speak, be led captive.

This, however, should not be understood to imply that the Philistines had made God their prisoner. The meaning is simply that the Israelites were deprived of the protection of God, and as a result, they fell into the hands of their enemies, just as an army is put to flight when its general is taken prisoner.

The ark is also termed the beauty of God because, being invisible in himself, he made it the symbol of his presence, or, as it were, a mirror in which he might be seen. It is a bold, and at first sight, an absurd hyperbole to say that the strength of God was taken prisoner by the Philistines; but it is expressly used to aggravate the wickedness of the people.

Since he had been accustomed to powerfully display the power of his arm in aiding them, the offenses that provoked him must have been very heinous for him to allow that symbol of his power to be forcibly carried away by a pagan army. We are taught by the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 7:12) that what is related here about Shiloh is addressed as a warning to all those who, flattering themselves on false grounds that they enjoy God’s presence, are lifted up with vain confidence: But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. If, therefore, when God approaches us familiarly, we do not sincerely receive him with the reverence that is fitting, we have reason to fear that what happened to the people of Shiloh will also happen to us.

So much the more disgusting, then, is the boasting of the Pope and his adherents, who support the claims of Rome as the special dwelling-place of God based on the fact that the Church formerly flourished in that city. It must be remembered—what they seem to forget—that Christ, who is the true temple of the Godhead, was born in Bethlehem, brought up in Nazareth, and lived and preached in Capernaum and Jerusalem; and yet the miserable desolation of all these cities provides a dreadful testimony to the wrath of God.