As far as we can tell, this was the first public appearance of Isaiah as prophet after an angel touched his lips with a hot coal. Since that happened in Isaiah 6, this suggests a chronological connection so it may have happened immediately after.
Isaiah tells Ahaz that the siege against Jerusalem will fail and that God will not allow the northern Israelite kingdom and the Arameans to divide up Judah. God also states that Ephraim will be shattered as a people within 65 years.
God tells Ahaz that he should stand firm in his faith or he will not stand at all. This seems to be a clear warning to Ahaz to spiritually clean himself up. Given that Ahaz sacrificed his own children to local gods, there is a lot of room for growth.
God asks Ahaz what sign he would like to know that he will be delivered from the siege, whether it be in highest heights or the deepest lows. In essence, God is asking Ahaz what miracle he would like. This is a huge invitation by God and shows a tremendous amount of mercy. God has not given on Ahaz.
However, Ahaz actually refuses the deal and he states that he will not test God. So, it seems that Ahaz might have given up on God.
Isaiah gets mad and since Ahaz did not request a sign, Isaiah prophesies one anyway. Of course, according to Christian theology, the sign of proof will take place far into the future long after both the Arameans and the northern kingdom are destroyed. But I don't think that mattered. Isaiah predicts something very powerful.
Isaiah's sign to Ahaz - a male child will be born of a virgin mother. He will be called Immanuel. Before the child can choose right or wrong, the two kingdoms that Ahaz fears will be destroyed.
This is the first crystal clear prophecy in the Old Testament about Christ. It has a further redemptive aspect to it because Ahaz sacrificed his own children. Here, Ahaz is being told about the importance of a future child. In fact, according to Matthew 1:7, Jesus is a descendant of King Ahaz.
Isaiah will have more to say about Immanuel, but first he tells Ahaz about the Assyrian army and that it will usher in an era of peace for the southern kingdom. This second portion of the prophecy was probably more in line with what Ahaz wanted or expected to hear.
The text is silent as to the reaction of Ahaz to any of this. The portion from 2 Kings stated that he plundered the temple of gold to buy an alliance with the Assyrian army. So, it does not look like he walked away from this encounter with Isaiah with a renewed faith in God. Rather, it seems quite the opposite. If anything, it seems like he may have been inspired by Isaiah for a good solution to his political problems. However, instead of relying on God to fulfill the prophecy, he takes initiative to plunder the temple and to buy an alliance with the Assyrians.
I also wonder if God's choice in using the Assyrians at this point in history had anything to do with their repentance after encountering Jonah.
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