MYSTERIES OF THE BIBLE: SATAN

The first mention of Satan ("Adversary") by name in The Bible is in Chronicles I 21:1. Here he is named as the being who commanded King David to take a census of Israel and Judah--an act which incurred God's wrath because it involved relying on humans instead of God. However, earlier, in Samuel 2 24:1-9, the command to David is attributed to God Himself. Perhaps Satan had tricked David into believing he was following God. The earliest references to Satan are as the serpent in Genesis 3: 1-5 and in Genesis 3: 13,14.