Judah is in deep trouble. She is facing both Israel and Aram in war, and has already suffered defeats from both, and now they are coming to assault Jerusalem itself. King Ahaz and all the people are terribly afraid. Isaiah has been commanded to meet with Ahaz and to instruct him. He has told him to not be afraid of Israel and Aram, Isa 7:4-9. However, Ahaz does not seem to be convinced. Then through Isaiah the Lord again speaks to Ahaz.

“Ask a sign of Yahweh your God; ask it either in the
depth, or in the height above.” Isa 7:11

So here by inspiration, Ahaz is told to do something to normally we are not taught to do, that is to ask for a sign.

We can see the dangers in passages like the one in Exodus 17

“Therefore the people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” ¶ Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test Yahweh?””
Ex 17:2 WEB

There is the commentary at the end of these things

“You shall not tempt Yahweh your God, as you tempted him in Massah.”
Deut 6:16 WEB

Ahaz slyly answers as if he is very devout, which of course he is not. But he does say “I will not ask, neither will I tempt Yahweh.” Isa 7:12b

Evidently Ahaz has already made up his mind.

We told the beginning of what happened in 2 Kings. Ahaz did not trust God. Instead he trusted in the brute force of nations.

“So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath Pileser king of Assyria, saying, I am your servant and your son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me.”
2Kgs 16:7 WEB

To seal the deal, Ahaz offered Tiglath Pilser a large amount of tribute to seal his become a vassal, a captive-state of Assyria.

“Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of Yahweh, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria.”
2Kgs 16:8 WEB

And he did get some results.

“The king of Assyria listened to him; and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and killed Rezin.”
2Kgs 16:9 WEB

In Ahaz mind he had won. He had done what was really smart. He had sided with the biggest bully on the block.

Then Ahaz went to meet his new protector, the King of
Assyria, in Damascus.

And there he went even further in idolatry. The story can be read in 2Kgs 16:10-18.

But we are getting ahead of ourselves. All of this evidently happened after his encounter with Isaiah in Isaiah 7.

So what Word of the Lord was it which Ahaz
rejected from Isaiah?
And how did it all come out?

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901