Why does God test us?

Why did God test Abraham?

God's command to take Isaac to Mount Moriah and offer Isaac

as a burnt offering was God's test to Abraham (Gen. 22:1-2).  Why did God test Abraham?

The reason is because God wanted to know the heart of Abraham.

More specifically, God was trying to find out whether Abraham would keep His command or not.

The basis is that God made the Israelites walk in the wilderness at the time of the Exodus.

God's purpose in making them walk in the wilderness was that God would humble the Israelites

and test them to see what their hearts were and whether they would keep God's commandments or not (Deut. 8:2).

Abraham passed the test of God.  In other words, Abraham obeyed God's command.

As God had commanded him, he took Isaac to Mount Moriah to offer it as the burnt offering.

Then an angel of the Lord stopped Abraham (Gen. 22:11-12a) and said to him:

“…  Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son” (v. 12).  

God knew Abraham's heart.  God knew that Abraham feared God.  

Those who fear God obey God's command.

Because Abraham feared God, he obeyed God's command, which he could not understand,

out of love for Him.  God tests us to know our hearts in this way.

But Satan tempts us.  The purpose of Satan's temptation is to bring us down.

In other words, the purpose of Satan's temptation is

to make us to disobey God's command of the covenant and result in a curse (the first Adam).

But God tests us.  

The purpose is to overcome temptation so that we can obey God's command of the covenant

and receive blessings (the last Adam Jesus).