Satan was to bow before Adam means that he should acknowledge Adams superiority over him. Although Satan as the universal animal Soul; the archangel over the animal kingdom, thus the god of this world (John 16;11, 2Cor 4;4), was a great power indeed, Adam was the next step in evolution; a reasoning conscious soul endowed with the Spirit of God, made in the image of God. the first man Adam was smarter than every other animal; although very young, he had greater potential then the serpent who was the wisest beast so far.
Now the snake was wiser than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. Gen 3;1
The superiority of Adam over all animals and over Satan, was told in a parable in which Adam was to call out the names of all animals.
After Adam had been endowed with a soul, God
invited all the angels to come and pay him reverence and homage. Satan, the
greatest of the angels in heaven, with twelve wings, instead of six like all the
others, refused to pay heed to the behest of God, saying, "Thou didst create us
angels from the splendor of the Shekinah, and now Thou dost command us to cast
ourselves down before the creature which Thou didst fashion out of the dust of
the ground!" God answered, "Yet this dust of the ground has more wisdom and
understanding than thou." Satan demanded a trial of wit with Adam, and God
assented thereto, saying: "I have created beasts, birds, and reptiles, I shall
have them all come before thee and before Adam. If thou art able to give them
names, I shall command Adam to show honor unto thee, and thou shalt rest next to
the Shekinah of My
glory. But if not, and Adam calls them by the names I have assigned to them,
then thou wilt be subject to Adam, and he shall have a place in My garden, and
cultivate it." Thus spake God, and He betook Himself to Paradise, Satan
following Him. When Adam beheld God, he said to his wife, "O come, let us
worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker." Now Satan
attempted to assign names to the animals. He failed with the first two that
presented themselves, the ox and the cow. God led two others before him, the
camel and the donkey, with the same result. Then God turned to Adam, and
questioned him regarding the names of the same animals, framing His questions in
such wise that the first letter of the first word was the same as the first
letter of the name of the animal standing before him. Thus Adam divined the
proper name, and Satan was forced to acknowledge the superiority of the first
man. Nevertheless he broke out in wild outcries that reached the heavens, and he
refused to do homage unto Adam as he had been bidden.[34] The host of angels led
by him did likewise, in spite of the urgent representations of Michael, who was
the first to prostrate himself before Adam in order to show a good example to
the other angels. Michael addressed Satan: "Give adoration to the image of God!
But if thou doest it not, then the Lord God will break out in wrath against
thee." Satan replied: "If He breaks out in wrath against me, I will exalt my
throne above the stars of God, I will be like the Most High! "At once God flung
Satan and his host out of heaven, down to the earth, and from that moment dates
the enmity between Satan and man.' Ginzberg Legends of the Jews; the Fall of
Satan.
Satan later, riding the serpent (Samael), caused a young and yet inexperienced Adam to fall from grace; to lose the radiance of the Spirit of God and to fall in Earth and become like the animals on earth.
I said in my heart with regard to the sons of men that God is testing them to show them that they are but beasts. Ec 3:18